


Our Carefree Lives

by shadowedstormy



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, The misadventures of Team STRQ in Beacon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-05 12:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 70,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13387965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowedstormy/pseuds/shadowedstormy
Summary: "'Tis the last rose of summer, left blooming alone; all her lovely companions are faded and gone."Summer wasn't meant to be Team Leader. She was meant to hide in the background, just like always. How could someone as plain and unassuming as her ever lead a team? Especially a team like this."Huginn and Muninn fly each day over the spacious earth. I fear for Huginn, that he come not back, yet more anxious am I for Muninn."Qrow and Raven. Raven and Qrow. They were seventeen, and invincible. Where one went, the other quickly followed. Beacon Academy was no exception.  They couldn't let their hopelessly pathetic teammates hold them back. They had a mission to complete. For the Tribe."Control yourself, let others do what they will. This does not mean you are weak."Rage was something Taiyang understood better then most. His anger was his strength. It terrified him. He had to stay calm. Keep control. Which was really hard to do when he was stuck on a team with the two most infuriating people on Remnant. Seriously, who let the Branwen Twins in?





	1. White, Yellow, Black, Red

The sun fell through the skylight and bounced off Taiyang’s golden hair, ruffled by the wind from the ferry with absolutely no attempt made to fix it. There was no time to focus on his hair. He couldn’t believe it. He was here. Finally. He was going to Beacon Academy to become a true Huntsman. The headmaster’s speech proved it. No more being a scared kid. He was a Huntsman-in-training now.

He was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as the headmaster finished talking, joining the rest of the other first year students as they filed out. He adjusted the backpack on his shoulders, staring in awe at how amazing Beacon Academy was. Wow. Vale really was pretty, he had to admit.

All that mattered was making it through tomorrow’s initiation. He had no idea if the rumours about teams were true. Maybe he should start making friends to prepare for that? How did one make friends? He was never good at that. Not that anyone ever wanted to be his friend. His mom didn’t count.

Beacon. Vale. It was different to all the places he’d been. He liked it. It seemed pretty relaxed, compared to most other places. The school itself was beautiful. He craned his neck to try see more of it as he aimlessly walked around the fountain. He’d bet money that there were people with some really cool semblances here.

He probably should have watched where he was going. He realised that when his foot caught on a cobblestone and he tripped, his teeth clanging together painfully as his chin hit the ground. He heard fabric tear and realised that there was another rip in the knee of his trousers. He’d have to stitch that up later. The latch of his backpack came undone from the fall as the contents spilled everywhere.

He swore under his breath and took his bag off, gathering up his things before they blew away or his new bad luck continued and they got trodden on. He could hear people laughing. Great. He was at one of the most prestigious Huntsman Academies in the world, and he got himself labelled a klutz. It was Oasis Academy all over again.

He looked around for the letter his mother gave as he shoved his second-hand notebooks into his bag. He noticed it at the foot of two dark-haired teenagers who were watching him like a pair of bored lions, like he wasn’t even worth the effort of dealing with. Both of them were in scruffy black shirts that looked like the hems had only recently been stitched on, the oversized clothing doing nothing to hide how pale and lean they were. The girl’s eyes were the most vibrant scarlet he’d ever seen, even more so then the boy’s more faded hue.

Taiyang rolled up his swag, clutching it nervously as he got to his feet, his chin stinging even though his aura protected him from the worst of it. He walked over, his shoulders shrinking slightly when they stared right through him with those piercing looks. “Uh… sorry. I just need to grab my stuff.”

The girl smirked. It wasn’t a very nice smirk. Taiyang felt like he was being made fun of somehow. “Of course. How unfortunate that you tripped like that.” She turned to the boy, somehow managing to laugh without making a sound. “Wasn’t it, Qrow?”

The boy who must have been Qrow glared at her. “Yeah. Real damn unlucky.”

Was there something he was missing? “Yeah, great, okay. I’ll just grab this and-” He grabbed the letter when Qrow’s hand shot out and ensnared his wrist.

“Stay away from my sister and me. Got that, blondie? Or it won’t end well for you.” Those dusty red eyes bored into Taiyang’s.

Taiyang nodded, even as rage began beating in his chest, warring against his constant fear. This guy thought he could threaten him and get away with that? And for what? Taiyang didn’t even do anything! Taiyang wanted to roar in his face, pummel him with fire and steel, teach this guy a lesson for trying to scare him.

No. Now was not the time for a fight. Obviously this guy, Qrow, had his own issues and Taiyang should rise to the bait. He took a deep breath to cool his anger. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just… go then.” He walked away with his letter safely in his pocket, his hands clenched into fists.

Well that went badly. Maybe he should just stay out of everyone’s way. He sat down on one of the benches away from the red-eyed siblings, dark blue eyes nervously scanning the crowd. So many people. Any of them could be people he was stuck with for the next four years. He hoped that they’d be nice. Nice people were always easier to be around.

He noticed a lot of people were wearing at least some armour. Should he have some? Armour was too hot back home. The metal would just instantly cook under the sun. But still. It could be a good idea, especially with his fighting style. He’d have to think about that.

“Do you mind if I join you for a moment?” The reedy voice took him out of his crowd gazing. He looked at the speaker, a short, bespectacled boy with pale skin and a shock of green hair. Taiyang nodded and shifted over.

“Yeah. Go ahead.” He didn’t own the bench, after all.

“Thank you, thank you.” The other boy sat down in a blur of motion. That was so cool! Did he have a speed semblance? “You see, after what the Headmaster said, I figured it best to be absolutely sure I was prepared,” the boy paused to sip his coffee, “and to make sure I had all my books with me. Books are the foundation of knowledge after all and without knowledge then there is no society and I do believe I’m rambling terribly sorry my name is Bartholomew sorry again.” Another sip from the thermos ended the rambling.

Taiyang was trying to keep up with the boy’s talking speed. Was everything about him fast? “… Sorry, what?”

“My name’s Bartholomew. Bartholomew Oobleck.” The boy’s cheetah tail, speckled with black spots, lashed nervously behind him. Oh. That explained the speed. “Hello?”

Taiyang blinked and smiled crookedly. Hello he could work with. “Hi, hello. I’m Taiyang Xiao Long. Nice to meet you, Bart.” He held out a hand, a sash tied over the scar on his arm so he didn’t have to answer awkward questions.

The faunus boy eagerly grabbed his and shook it so fast their arms blurred. It felt like his arm was about to be vibrated out of the socket. “It’s Bartholomew, actually, but yes, it is great, just great to meet a friendly face!”

Taiyang retrieved his hand and flexed his fingers a bit to restore blood flow. Ow. “Yeah. Nice to meet you too.” He was talking to someone. Actually talking to someone. Go him. His mom would be proud. “So are you a first year?”

“Yes, yes I am, I arrived here earlier today.” Bartholomew adjusted his glasses and sipped his coffee, pawing through his bag. “It’s all a bit daunting, really, when you think about it. I’m quite looking forward to the initiation tomorrow, though. I heard that every Academy does things differently. I wonder what Beacon’s is like. Should be interesting to find out, yes, very interesting.”

Taiyang nodded. “Yeah.” Apparently Bartholomew was a talker. That was fine. It meant Taiyang didn’t have as many chances to put his foot in his mouth. Which was always a good thing. “So are you from Vale?”

“Menagerie, actually! Although I’ve been to Vale quite a lot! My uncle owns a cattle ranch on Patch, it’s quite something! How about you? Xiao Long, where’s that from?”

“I’m from Vacuo. Sorta. I travelled a lot.” He shouldn’t think about that. He shouldn’t think about Mistral. He touched the letter in his pocket. He promised his mom not to read it until he was settled in at Beacon, and he never broke his promises. “So do you know anything about the Initiation?”

“Only what I heard being discussed on the way here. All I know is that it involves fighting Grimm and the possibility of forming teams.” His cheetah tail lashed behind him. “I’d rather take the Grimm.”

“Yeah, me too.” To the socially awkward. “Well, I hope you survive.” Maybe he’d be on a team with Bartholomew. He seemed… cool was not the word. Nice. Nice was good. Taiyang scanned the area again out of habit and noticed a girl in white peeking out from behind a tree.

He gave her an awkward wave and cringed as her silvery eyes went wide with panic and she hid herself behind her chosen tree.

Weird. He’d figured Beacon would have some odd types. They accepted him after all.

\-- 太陽小龍 --

“The person you first make eye contact with after landing in the forest will be your partner for the next four years.”

Taiyang felt his blood turn to ice as he nearly collapsed to his knees. Nooooooooooooo why did that have to be the selection process he was done. He was leaving Beacon and he was going to go right back home to his mom and he was going to give up on becoming a Huntsman forever because _that_ was not a selection process, that was torture. Why couldn’t it be something normal? Like filling out a sheet and being matched up based on literally any other way? Because seriously, eye contact? _Whhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyy._

He couldn’t take the stress. He barely heard the headmaster telling them to kill everything that moved. Also something about relics? What? Whatever, he saw the guy next to him get launched into the air. Because that was safe.

Taiyang crouched right before he was suddenly in the air, wind whipping through his hair as he activated his semblance. He didn’t need his weapons. Not for this. Besides, it would help to have his strength banked up for when he inevitably encountered Grimm.

He crossed his forearms in front of his face right before he smashed through trees like a wrecking ball, eventually catching a branch right before he hit the ground and flipping into a crouch. Nailed it.

Golden fire burned along his arms, replacing the pain of his scrapes with a pleasant warmth as his skin knitted itself together. He felt anger and heat simmering in his chest, smoke trailing out of his nostrils as he scanned the horizon for Grimm.

The distinctive roar of an Ursa up ahead made him grin. Finally. Real action. Taiyang ran towards the sound, spotting the Grimm crashing through the brush towards him. He cracked his knuckles and threw a bare-handed punch powerful enough to crack the beast’s bone mask and knock it down. He stomped on its head when it was down for good measure, hearing more cracks.

The Ursa began to rise.

Taiyang activated his weapons.

The Grimm didn’t even have time for a death roar before it began to dissolve into smoke.

He ran his hand through his hair and started walking, glancing up at the sun to calculate his position. If he kept heading towards the other side of the forest, he was sure he’d figure out what he was meant to be doing eventually.

He realised he could hear a lot more things coming towards him and realised he must have attracted the attention of more than just the one Ursa. It sounded like a lot of Grimm. His landing strategy was more noticeable then he thought.

Taiyang punched his fists together with a grin. “Bring it on.”

\-- 太陽小龍 --

He was officially lost. Lost and without any clue what his objective was. He took deep calming breaths so his semblance and his rage didn’t send him over the edge. He’d been doing a lot of fighting. That was a lot of Grimm.

Stay calm. Breathe deep. He just had to figure out what he was meant to be doing. He probably should have listened instead of freaking out internally about partners.

Speaking of partners. Time to puzzle this out. Headmaster Ozpin said that partners were decided through eye contact. That left it up to chance. A lot of chance. Oh boy.

He shouldn’t panic. Panic drew Grimm. Taiyang had to think. Who did he know that would be an good partner?

There was Bartholomew. He was nice. Fast too, which was always useful in a fight. And smart! He was also one of the only people Taiyang actually knew. If he could, he should try find Bartholomew. Besides, a lot of people here didn’t seem to be keen on faunus, so it might actually be safer for Bartholomew to have someone on his team who liked faunus.

If that didn’t work, who else did he know?

There was that girl with the white cloak and silver eyes who he’d seen watching him yesterday. Although he hadn’t talked to her. Honestly he wasn’t sure if anyone had talked to her. Or could talk to her. She seemed to vanish every time someone got close. Would she be a good partner?

Maybe not.

Who else was there? The only other people he even sort of knew were those red-eyed siblings. The girl was… intense. A bit mean. Honestly, she was slightly terrifying, even if she was pretty. He wasn’t sure about her. Being her partner could go very badly. And Qrow? Hell no. That guy had issues and a lot of anger and Taiyang did not need to be around someone like that when he had enough problems balancing his own fury.

So on either of those two being his partner? Definitely a no.

He heard rustling in the bushes and turned, seeing a bunch of Beowolves charging him with glowing red eyes. Another fight. He readied his stance and lunged, meeting the first Grimm’s strike with a punch. Taiyang readied his free hand and struck, the Grimm’s head exploding from the hit.

He cracked his neck and let the first Beowolf drop, meeting the second with a flurry of hits and knocking it into a third. A fourth lunged at him from the side and he met it with a roundhouse before scoring the claws of his weapons down its throat. He kicked another back to get himself some distance, counting how many were still alive. 

Two left. Taiyang brought his hands up in a boxer’s stance and darted forward, punching the Beowolf with a devastating uppercut to the jaw. He heard its neck snap backwards. The remaining Grimm charged him with a roar. He lowered his stance, drawing his hands in as he waited for the perfect moment.

The Beowolf lunged, teeth almost upon him before he struck out with a double palm strike, hitting it hard enough that it disintegrated on impact. Taiyang glanced around to make sure that was it, sheathing his weapons. He dusted his bare hands, taking a calming breath. He couldn’t risk losing control. That was a bad idea.

He heard something move behind him and started to turn. Crap. There must have been another Beowolf waiting. Something blurred past him. He barely even realised what was going on before the Grimm’s head was on the ground, severed from the body, and there was a boy in a dark red cape standing beyond it, holding a massive scythe. The boy turned to look at Taiyang.

The bottom dropped out of Taiyang’s stomach as his dark blue eyes locked with a set of dusty red. Qrow’s cocky grin fell off his face.

“Shit. Not you.” They both said it at the same time.

This was just his luck.

Damnit. Okay. Time to bury whatever hatchet there apparently was and make nice. Taiyang tried to look friendly, nervously holding up his gloved hands in the universal symbol of _‘I’m not carrying a weapon I promise don’t shoot me’_. Here goes nothing. “So… my name’s Taiyang. Taiyang Xiao Long.”

“Fuck off.” Qrow turned on his heel and stormed off, retracting the blade and hilt of his scythe until it was a small hunk of metal he could clip to his back. Taiyang grimaced and followed him, nearly tripping over his feet.

“Wait! I’m sorry about yesterday! Can we start over? Please?” They were stuck together now, for better or for worse, and Taiyang knew he sucked at this sort of thing. He knew it well. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle four years of being hated. Personally, at least. He could deal with people hating him from a distance, even though it wasn’t great, just not like this. Not if he had to talk to Qrow every day.

Qrow ignored him, hands in his pockets and stalking through the undergrowth. He radiated negativity. That only made Taiyang more anxious, more desperate. This was getting worse and worse. “We’re going to get swarmed by Grimm if both of us are unhappy. Shouldn’t we at least try to get along?”

His nerves were making him clumsy. He was somehow tripping on every single root and patch of uneven ground as he stumbled to catch up. Qrow wasn’t having any trouble at all, despite the bitter slouch to his shoulders. What a pair they made.

“Hey, wait up!” Taiyang’s foot caught in a rabbit hole and he yelped, feeling his ankle twist. “ _FUCK_!” Owowowowowowowowowowowowowowow.

His shout caused Qrow to finally look at him. Yay, a silver lining. Those red eyes looked him over. “Is it broken?” There was something in his tone that Taiyang couldn’t place. Aside from the general sense of sullen anger.

Taiyang rested his hand against a tree trunk, lifting his injured foot off the ground and prodding gently at it with his free hand. “No. Twisted. I’ll live.”

“Good. Hurry up. It’s bad enough I’m stuck with you, I don’t need to be slowed down by your injury.” Qrow’s eyes shifted away from Taiyang as he said that. That was weird.

Taiyang breathed deeply and tapped into his semblance, huffing out a cloud of smoke through his nostrils as he did. His healing kicked in, burning away the injury. He placed his foot back on the ground, testing the weight. All better. Rage and power coiled in his stomachs like snakes. He had to hit something. Right now. He let out a yell, punching the tree he was leaning on hard enough to shatter the wood as fire burned on his fist. Without any Grimm around to quell his rage on, that would have to do.

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, breathing out puffs of smoke until he was absolutely certain his semblance and rage were under tight control again. He couldn’t lose it. Not now. Not ever again.

He opened his eyes again to see Qrow looking at him with a raised brow. “What?” He snapped at him, some of his semblance still shimmering in his hair, turning pale blond into spun gold.

“What the fuck was that?” Qrow motioned at the demolished tree before crossing his arms.

Taiyang counted his breaths before he answered, locking down the remnants of his rage. “My semblance. I can heal, faster than most people, but when I do, I get angrier. And I catch fire.”

“So what, you’re some kind of mad berserker?” Qrow’s gaze wasn’t as cutting as before.

He shuffled his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I don’t like it if it actually hits that point though.” Everyone else had semblances they could control. When Taiyang reached his boiling point, he didn’t remember anything.

Qrow scoffed, staying quiet for a while before he flicked his eyes back to Taiyang’s. “Pathetic.” Taiyang flinched. Ouch. Qrow didn’t seem to notice or care. “This is still fucked up. Fine. Just stay out of my way and don’t steal my kills. And watch where you’re walking.”

He strutted off again, this time at a slightly slower pace. Taiyang followed, able to actually see where he was placing his feet this time rather than stumbling blindly after his new partner.

Even though said partner was still obviously unhappy with him. He still didn’t understand what he did wrong.

“So where are we going?” He hoped Qrow had been listening.

Qrow glared at him. “Didn’t you hear Ozpin’s speech?”

Taiyang twiddled his fingers nervously. “Uh, no, no I did not.” He was too busy fending off anxiety about getting partner with someone who hated him. Maybe he should have panicked more, then this might not have happened.

Qrow rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. “For fuck’s sake. We’re looking for a bunch of relics. We find them, and then we get to the cliffs. Did you understand that or do I need to dumb it down even more?”

“No, I think I got that, thanks. So which way?”

“… Aw, shit.”

\--  太陽小龍 --

‘Hey, do you think that’s it?”

“No. I think that the destroyed building in the middle of the fucking forest is there for a completely unrelated reason. Idiot.”

Taiyang held his tongue, trying not to rise to the baits Qrow kept tossing out. He had to stay calm. Not lose control. Even if Qrow deserved it. He walked towards the ruins, wondering what these relics were. Breathe.

“Do you think we’re the first here?” He followed Qrow into the stone ruins. There were all sorts of little things on pillars. He could see an hourglass, two little sundials, what looked like a wrist watch, pocket watches, and a single clock all on its lonesome.

Qrow stared at the hourglass intently, leaning over to get a better look. “Doubt it. Some of these pillars are empty. What do you think it means?”

Taiyang shrugged, counting out the pillars. “Well, there’s twelve pillars, and five of them are empty.”

“Duh.” Taiyang didn’t have to look to know Qrow was rolling his eyes. He could hear it. He blushed slightly.

“I mean, well, that means that there are five other partnerships that got here first. And it all looks like it’s all timepieces. Maybe whatever thing we pick is important somehow?”

“Then don’t touch anything until we know what the hell is going on.”

Taiyang pulled his hand back before lifting up one of the little sundials. It was a really cute one too. It had a dragon carved into it. His mom would love something like that. He hoped she was doing okay. “I’m not touching anything.”

“You were about to.”

“But I-” Taiyang’s voice trailed off. “I- what is that?” He pointed over Qrow’s shoulder.

Qrow’s head whipped round to look at the swirl of red and black that had opened in the air at the steps of the ruins. A familiar dark-haired girl stepped out, her red eyes landing on her brother as she scowled.

“I can’t _believe_ I didn’t think of that sooner.” She pulled her arm out of the portal, yanking out another girl dressed in a white cloak with an iron grip on the smaller girl’s wrist. “Hurry up, will you?”

Taiyang waved shyly at the cloaked girl, recognising her as the one who kept staring at him and hiding. “Hi.”

“Eep!” She disappeared from sight.

Qrow’s sister rolled her eyes with a huffy sigh. “I can’t believe I got stuck with a weakling like you.” She let go of the invisible wrist she had been holding. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say your luck was rubbing off on me, little brother.”

“We’re twins, Raven. And you’re one to complain about bad partners. Why didn’t you come to me the minute you landed?” Qrow crossed his arms grumpily.

“Perhaps I wanted to see what would happen if I left things to chance. I regret it, don’t you worry.”

Taiyang edged away from the two twins and wished that a Grimm could show up. Now. Right now. Any minute now. Watching siblings fight was so awkward. Should he grab one of the relics? Just in case?

“Hello.” A tiny whisper broke him out of his thoughts. He looked down, having to nearly touch his chin to his chest, to see the tiny girl in white reappearing.

He smiled at her, trying not to scare her. She seemed nervous. He understood that. “Hi. I’m Taiyang.” At least she wasn’t disappearing. How did she do that?

“Summer.” She raised a hand to tuck her red-black hair back behind her ear and revealing both of her silvery eyes. He’d never seen someone with eyes like that before.

“Cool name. So, while they’re, uh, talking,” -there was a lot of angry swearing why wasn’t the earth swallowing him whole- “why don’t we grab a relic?”

She blinked at him and nodded. “What one do you think you’ll pick?” He had to strain to hear her over the sounds of the twins.

“I don’t know. I kinda like this sundial though. It’s pretty neat. I wonder why there’s two of them, though.” He kept an eye out for Grimm. He and Qrow had fought their way through some. Aside from almost dying three times because of stupid mistakes, he was fine.

Summer tilted her head, looking from the two sundials to the rest of the pillar. “Maybe… maybe this has something to do with being partners or something? There’s two sundials, two pocket watches, and there’s an even number of places for relics. Maybe all the others had a pair too? Each partnership has a, well, partner.” She ducked her head. “Sorry. It’s dumb.”

“It’s brilliant!” Taiyang beamed at her, clapping her shoulder and instantly retracting his hand when she disappeared with her usual ‘eep’. “Sorry.” Oops.

He waited for her to reappear before he spoke again. “Sooooo… do you think we should pick a pair? Pocket watches or sundials? Since we’re all here?”

She bit her lip. It was adorable. “Whatever you want to do is fine.”

“Sundials then! They got a cute little dragon on them. How about it?”

She nodded, the corner of her lip quirking. “Okay, just let me tell Raven,” she said quietly. “Um, Raven?” Raven ignored her. “Raven?” Summer spoke a little louder. “Raven?”

“ _WHAT?!”_

“Eep!” Summer vanished again. Taiyang twiddled his fingers as both the twins turned their glares onto him.

Qrow scowled at him. “What now, blondie?”

“Uh…” he scuffed the toe of his shoe against the stone. “We, that is, me and Summer, but mostly me, we were going to choose a relic? Since that’s the objective?” That was a very interesting crack in the rock there by his shoe. He should just keep staring at that.

Raven raised a brow. “Hmm. Perhaps he’s right, Qrow. It’s no use fighting in Grimm territory. We can save that for when we get back to Beacon.”

“Yeah, won’t that be fun. So how does this work?” Qrow glared at the hourglass like it had personally offended him.

Taiyang scratched the back of his head. “Well, since all four of us are here, we can take one of the pairs? I vote sundials.” He glanced down to see Summer flickering back into view. Lucky. Disappearing right now would be great, with the way the twins were glaring at him.

Raven raised a brow. “Why not? Perhaps it will be influence the team situation.” She smirked at Taiyang. Scary. “Qrow. Go grab a pocket watch.”

“Go grab one yourself, I’m not your damn servant.” He picked one up anyway, sticking it in his pocket as Raven tossed the clock’s twin at Summer.

“Be a dear and carry that, will you?” That mocking smile never left her face. Taiyang really didn’t like these twins. It was like they thought they were better than everyone else.

Summer fumbled with it as she caught it, looping the chain on her belt. “Sorry.”

Taiyang wasn’t sure he wanted to leave her alone with Raven. That didn’t seem good at all for Summer. And he was sick of Qrow’s attitude. He could only ignore him so much when it was just the two of them.

“Hey, I got an idea!” He forced a grin as he suddenly became the centre of attention. He didn’t like it at all.

“How about, since all four of us are here and all, we travel to the cliffs together? I mean, four weapons are better than two when it comes to Grimm, right? And you two know each other already, so why not?”

The silence made him want to rip all his skin off and relocate it to the bottom of the ocean. Aw hell. The twins glanced at each other and shrugged, completely in sync.

“Well, it would be good to have someone around who _isn’t_ dead weight.” Raven tapped the hilt of her sword.

“Eh, I’ve already been carrying blondie, what’s two more?” Qrow smirked and dodged the punch from his sister, his grin widening as she landed flat on her face. “Careful, sis.”

Raven pushed herself up and kicked him in the shin. “I can’t believe I debated having a jinx like you as a partner, little brother. Just stay on your side of the battle and away from me.”

“Always, Raven.” Qrow rubbed his leg, muttering something that was probably really unflattering under his breath. Taiyang didn’t need to know what was being said. He’d already found out that Qrow’s swearing was really impressive on the way here.

“Then let’s go.” Raven strode towards the cliffs, leading the way for the rest of them. Qrow followed, falling into step with her with that ease of people who’d always been together. Taiyang kind of envied that.

He sighed and started to follow, before looking back at the quiet form of Summer. “Hey, you alright?”

“Me?” She pointed at herself, tilting her head. “Oh, yes, I’m fine.”

“Then come on. We can hang back a bit and let them snipe at each other instead of us.”

She smiled slightly. “So Qrow is like Raven then?”

“I was going to ask if Raven was as bad as Qrow. I guess that’s the answer,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, okay, I probably deserve it. I mean, I kinda met them yesterday and I must’ve offended them or something.” Although he thought there had been a moment there after he fixed his ankle where Qrow seemed to soften a bit. Apparently not.

“I saw you trip,” she blurted out before her hands shot up to cover her mouth. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. I’m a bit of a klutz. Not a scratch on me, though.”

“I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. It was nothing. I’m tougher then I look.” She was great. She would have been an awesome partner. But since that wasn’t what happened, he could at least hope she was on his team. “By the way, that was pretty clever back there, with the relics. I thought it was all random.”

She dropped her gaze. “Thank you.”

“Any time, Summertime.” That was terrible. That wasn’t even a pun. Please don’t hate him. “Oh my god I am so sorry.”

She giggled, hiding her hand behind her mouth. “That was really bad.”

He couldn’t help laughing along with her. She had a really nice laugh. “It was terrible! I’m usually better at that.”

“I don’t mind.” She smiled at him and caught his arm as he managed to trip on another damn tree root where the hell were they all coming from?

“Hey! Idiots!” Qrow glared back over his shoulder. “Will you hurry up? We’re almost there.”

“Calm down, Qrow. It’s not their fault they can’t keep up.”

Taiyang took a deep breath. Stay calm. “Let’s catch up. Might be a good idea.”  He scanned the trees as he and Summer joined the twins. He gave her a quick smile before he spoke. “So how much longer to the cliffs?”

Raven glanced at the sun. “About five minutes, give or take a Grimm attack.” Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword.

“Not like that’s a problem,” Qrow smirked. “Ursa and Beowolves are nothing to us.”

“Well, that might not be the only thing out here,” Taiyang pointed out. “Right?”

“I don’t think we have to worry.” Qrow linked his hands behind his head. “Considering I heard someone crashing through the air loud enough that they probably drew every single Grimm in the forest to their location. Unless they’re dead.”

Taiyang blushed and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, that was me. Not dead.”

Qrow blinked at him for a moment. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Um, guys?” Summer whispered. “Don’t you think it’s a little quiet?” They ignored her.

“Well, it’s just how I work, I guess. What was your landing strategy then?”

“I stuck my sword in a tree to slow my fall. Way less destructive then whatever the hell you were doing.”

“Girls, girls,” Raven drawled, one hand on her hip. “You’re both pretty. Besides, my landing strategy was much smarter than either of yours, considering I didn’t even need to use my weapon or break anything.”

 “Guys?” Summer tried again.

“Shut up, Raven, no one asked you.”

“What’s wrong, little brother? Are you upset because I’m right?”

“You’re two minutes older! Stop calling me little!”

“Are you two seriously arguing about this now?” Taiyang looked between them.

“Stay out of this, blondie. Smart people only.”

“Please stop calling me an idiot.”

“Aw, how cute. Dumb people never realise just how stupid they really are.” Raven smiled wickedly. “Perhaps you and my brother are perfect for each other. Between the two of you, you almost reach average intelligence.”

“Um, excuse me?” Summer raised her hand.

“I am not afraid to hit a girl, Raven. Especially since you’re my sister.”

“Try it, Qrow. Glesni isn’t here to protect you now.”

“Can you please not fight?”

 “ _QUIET!”_ They all looked over at Summer in shock. She yelled. Summer blinked at them all, staring back. Taiyang gave her a little wave in support. She waved back. “Hi.”

 “What do you want now?” Raven rolled her eyes.

“I-I- there’s a- on the cliff. Thought you should know.” Summer pulled her hood down. “I- um- Eep!” She vanished.

Taiyang turned, eyes widening. “What- what is that?”

“A King Taijitu. Haven’t you ever seen one of those before?” Qrow pulled out his scythe.

“No, actually, I haven’t!” He watched as the two-headed Grimm slithered out of a hole in the cliff, completely covering the ruins of the bridge. “How do we get past it?”

“We don’t go past it.” Raven’s hand rested on the hilt of her sword. “We go through it.”

“Through it.” He had to stay calm and breathe. Breathe. He was a Huntsman in training. He was here to fight Grimm. “What’s the plan?”

He felt a hand on his arm and looked down at Summer, who gave him a tiny smile. “Let’s kill it. Teams of two. Raven and Qrow, me and Taiyang. One head each.” She let go of his arm and reached behind her back, pulling out her weapon. With a flick of her wrist, she extended it into a double-bladed axe that looked way too big for her.

He smiled back, activating his weapons with their signature sound. He saw Raven draw her blade from the corner of his eye. Qrow smirked and spun his scythe. “Don’t get bitten, blondie. If you get poisoned I’m leaving you out here.”

Taiyang ignored him, cracking his neck. “I’ll do my best.” He punched his fists together as both heads of the King Taijitu struck.


	2. Childish Things

“Qrow Branwen. Raven Branwen. Summer Rose. Taiyang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the silver pocket watch. From this day forward, you will work together as team STRQ. Led by…” Ozpin paused for dramatic effect, “Summer Rose.”

“Eep!” Summer disappeared on stage. The crowd laughed and Raven rolled her eyes. Taiyang shot a smile in her direction as she slowly reappeared, her hood pulled up to hide her scarlet-tinted face.

Ozpin smiled slightly. “Good luck, Team STRQ.” His gaze lingered on all of them. Taiyang felt especially nervous when the Headmaster looked at him. Did he know? He had to know.

Raven walked off first, Qrow following as Taiyang and Summer glanced at each other before they joined their team. They were a team. The deputy headmaster stopped them as they were about to leave, handing Summer a file.

“This is the location of your assigned dorm room. Inside there are four keys for the door. Do not lose your keys. Dorms are co-ed, and there is a partition available to separate the room in half. Classes begin tomorrow at nine, your schedules are listed in the file. Your dorm contains school supplies and basic living requirements as well as your beds. Please adhere to the dress code during classes. Stay out of trouble.”

Summer nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered as they left the hall, Raven snatching the directions out of her hands.

“Give me those,” she snapped.

“Eep!”

Qrow linked his hands behind his head. “I can’t believe you were named leader when you can barely even talk without disappearing. The headmaster must be off his nut.”

Taiyang shoved his hands into his pockets to make sure he didn’t hit anything. The Branwen twins picking on him was something he could manage, but Summer didn’t do anything to deserve it. “Come on, guys. We’re a team here. Shouldn’t we at least try to get along?”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Why don’t we hang out and get drunk and do whatever else it is teenagers do? Pass. I can’t believe we have to go to classes. How useless is that?”

“Why would that be useless?” Taiyang raised a brow.

“Because I don’t think there’s anything you can learn in a class that you can’t learn by actually going out and doing shit.”

“Wow. It’s like you’ve never been to a school before.”

Raven smirked. “We didn’t. We’re from outside the kingdoms. I doubt either of you could ever survive even an hour out there. It’s a harsh place. But we survived. Because we’re the best.”

“It’s why we’re better then you.”

“At being birdbrains, maybe,” Taiyang muttered under his breath. He heard a faint giggle coming from somewhere near his elbow. Did Summer hear that? At least she was still here. He wished he could go invisible. The twins reminded him of some of the nastier people he met at Oasis.

“What was that, Xiao Long?” Qrow glared at him, his hand reaching for his weapon as Raven grabbed the hilt of her blade.

“Nothing!” This team set up was going to stress him out. Damn it. He was going to have another anxiety attack if this hostility kept up. Maybe he should try be nicer. He wasn’t exactly helping.

“That what I thought,” Qrow huffed. “Raven, where’s the dorms?”

“Across the courtyard. We’re in Building A, Room Thirteen.” She smirked. “Such an unlucky number, that.”

“Shut up, Raven!” Qrow snapped at her. Taiyang thought that was a bit of an over-reaction, but he didn’t know them.

He glanced at where he thought Summer was. “I think you’ll be a great leader,” he whispered.

“You’re just saying that.” She began to fade back into view.

“No, I’m not. I mean, you had that brainwave about the relics, and when neither of us were able to dent that Taijitu, you figured out how to stop it. I would never have thought of blinding it! I was too busy accidentally setting some of the forest on fire!” Bad idea, in retrospect.

“And I know Raven and Qrow act like they were doing fine, but you were the one that had the idea that actually killed it. We were in a really Grimm situation there.” He saw her try not to smile at the pun. “I’m glad you’re the leader. There’s no one else on this team that I think could do it.” He definitely couldn’t.

Summer smiled at him and pulled her hood back. “I- if you think I can, I can try.”

“That’s the spirit,” he beamed sunnily at her. “Now let’s check out our dorm. I’ve never been in a dorm before. Oasis just had classes and then everyone went home.”

“Signal was the same. Oasis is in Vacuo, right?” She tilted her head.

“Yep. My mom and I moved to Vacuo when I was younger. She’s great.” He probably shouldn’t talk about her too much though. “So you’re from Vale?”

“Patch. I’ve wanted to be a Huntress all my life.”

“You wanted to be a Huntress?” Qrow glanced back at them. “Wow. I was already amazed at how a nervous wreck like you got in, but apparently your scared butt picked the one job that meant facing horrifying shit on a daily basis. Nice choice.”

“I bet she’ll drop out after a month,” Raven smirked.

Taiyang clenched his fists to keep his hands from shaking and glanced at Summer, ready to snap at them. She shook her head once. Okay. He could avoid picking a fight. He had to stay calm. “So we’re Room Thirteen? Is that this floor or the next one up?”

Both the twins glanced at each other. “Third floor.” Raven pressed the button for the elevator. “So how did either of you even get into Beacon?”

“We took our tests and completed our exams, you know, the usual way.” Taiyang crossed his arms. At least the elevator wasn’t cramped. “How about you?”

“We completed the entrance test with flying colours. Didn’t we, brother?”

“Of course we did. We have actual experience under our belts.” The elevator dinged as they stepped out. “Every other student here is too sheltered.”

Taiyang was getting real sick of their arrogance. Sheltered? Seriously? He counted to ten in his head before he did something that he- no, he probably wouldn’t regret it. It would just be very unhelpful.

“Can we please not fight?” Summer opened their door. “Please? We’re a team now.” She sat on one of the beds. “Maybe we should talk about our weapons? So we know each other’s skills?”

Taiyang nodded and leaned against the wall. “Sounds good to me.” He’d noticed Summer eying the gloves on his hands. Was she a weaponry enthusiast? Not that he had room to judge. He geeked out over every use of a semblance when he and his mom were watching the Vytal Tournament last year.

Qrow and Raven glanced at each other as they lounged on the two beds opposite Summer. “Alright,” Raven held out her hands with her usual smirk. “Impress us.”

Taiyang expected her to go ‘eep’ and disappear again. He was pleasantly surprised when she pulled out her weapon instead. Taiyang hadn’t gotten a proper look at it earlier, but now he could see that it looked like a small staff that fitted her hands perfectly.

She twisted her grip slightly as it telescoped out into the double-bladed axe that had cleaved one head off the King Taijitu. “This is _Meteora Bloom_.” Summer retracted one of the axe blades. “She’s also got a chain attachment for when I need more distance on the axe head, and the blades can collapse in again.” She held up the two metal sticks, the chain that linked them dragging slightly on the ground.

Taiyang grinned. “So it’s also like a really long nunchaku?”

“I guess you could say that.” She smiled slightly as she sheathed her weapon. “I made her myself. I’ve been thinking about adding some sort of dust cartridge, like a rifle.” She looked up at them and realised they were staring. She looked almost ready to disappear again. Taiyang decided to take the attention himself so she’d feel better.

Taiyang glanced at Qrow and Raven. “So am I going next or-“

“I’ll go.” Raven stood. She grabbed the hilt of her blade and extended it, the single-edged blade telescoping out to twice its stored length. “It’s an ōdachi. I mostly tend to just use it as a normal sword, but I have other options. This trigger built into the hilt connects to the different types of dust stored in the rotary chambers. I can do all kinds of nasty things to my enemies with it.”

She tapped the rotary chamber. “Currently all I have is fire and lightning. I ran out of ice dust during initiation. All the other kinds are just out of my price range.” She gave Qrow a sly smile, like there was some sort of joke that only they knew.

Summer tilted her head. “Beautiful. Did you name your weapon?”

“Name it? Why would I name it?”

Summer started to fade around the edges. “Be-because our weapons are like an extension of ourselves?”

Qrow raised a brow. “Yeah, well neither of us named ours. So what?”

“I-I didn’t mean that there was anything wrong with not naming your weapons, I just- I- eep!”

Taiyang shot Qrow a quick glare. Summer never did anything. “So what’s your weapon?”

Qrow shrugged as his sister stepped out of the way, laying down on the bed with his hands under his head. “Mine’s a broadsword, single-edged. It’s also got a shotgun feature. And a scythe. The scythe’s for Grimm so far. I’m not taking it out just to play with it. What’s the point in that? I’m not a show off, unlike _some_ people. Raven.”

“If you’ve got it, flaunt it, brother.” She glanced at Taiyang. “What about you?”

Taiyang gestured at his fingerless gloves. “These are my weapons.” They extended out into gauntlets, the metal reaching up to his elbows and covering down to his knuckles. He was used to wearing them full-time ever since he started using them. It was stupid to let your guard down in Vacuo.

“They make my hits tougher, really.” He flexed his fingers to show them the armour on his palms before he extended the claws, one from each finger aside from his thumb. “Claws are good for finishing moves. No gun features though.”

He smiled at where he hoped Summer was and punched his fists together. “Meet  _Ránshāo de_ _Hu_ _ǒy_ _àn_.”

She reappeared as her silvery eyes lit up excitedly. “Um, may I?”

He nodded and took the gauntlets off, handing them over for her to look at. She held them up against the light. “Laced with fire dust?”

“My mom’s idea, to give them a bit of kick for initiation. I used almost all of it on the Taijitu. It’s not a bad idea, honestly.”

“You could put a dust chamber in for an upgrade, which could be very useful,” Summer smiled as she studied the three-inch claws. “No wonder you were hacking at the joint of the Taijitu’s heads. These could do a lot of damage with enough strength behind them.”

“Blah, blah, blah, you’re both nerds, we get it.” Qrow tossed a pillow at Taiyang. It smacked him in the face. Taiyang took a deep breath to not punch Qrow’s lights out mid-sentence. “So how necessary are classes anyway?”

Raven checked her nails. “If we don’t pass all our classes, brother dearest, we’ll never achieve our lifelong dream of becoming Huntresses.” Her voice rose in pitch slightly to match Summer’s whispery lilt.

Taiyang was really glad Summer was currently holding his weapons or else he might try set fire to Raven’s hair. He glanced at the schedules. “We all share most of our classes, actually. First up tomorrow is Field Techniques and General Fitness in the school gym.” That sounded fun.

“Sounds easy.” Qrow stretched out, letting his head dangle off the bed as he watched them all from upside-down.

Taiyang shrugged and started looking through the closets on either side of the dorm room. Uniforms. Ties. He didn’t know how to tie a tie, he was going to kill himself trying he knew it. “Ugh. We never had to wear these in Oasis.”

“No?” Raven glanced over at him.

“Yeah, Vacuo’s not really a shirt and tie sort of place.”

“What’s that?” Taiyang looked over to see what Qrow was talking about, the dark-haired teen pointing at the skirt Taiyang had tossed behind him.

“It’s a-” Taiyang got an idea. An awful idea. Taiyang got a wonderful, awful idea. “It’s a kilt.”

“A kilt?” Qrow raised a brow.

He tried not to smile and give the game away. “Yes. It’s part of the uniform. Right, Summer?”

Summer nodded, hiding under her hood. “Yeah, definitely. It’s for people who are fast movers and can’t afford to have their mobility restricted. Don’t you have kilts where you’re from?”

Yes, we do.” Raven pulled out her own provided uniform, cringing in disgust at the tie and jacket. “They aren’t mandatory there though.” She picked up her skirt and started judging the size. “Although I do like the skirt. It’s very stylish.”

“Well, Vale’s a different place. Everyone has to be in uniform over here. Ties and kilts and everything. If you don’t wear the uniform you get penalised, pretty severely, I heard. Haven’t you guys ever seen a uniform before?”

“No. Apparently neither have you, desert boy,” Raven fixed her hair in the mirror.

Taiyang sat next to Summer to try and get his weapons back. “Yeah, but I know I have to wear one here.”

Qrow picked up the skirt. “A kilt, you said?”

Taiyang and Summer smiled at each other.

* * *

Qrow punched him in the face the moment they got into their dorm. “You’re a piece of shit. Both of you.”

Taiyang prodded gingerly at his nose, his fingers trembling slightly. “It was my idea. Not Summer’s.” he was skipping lunch for getting punched in the face. Deservedly so, but still.

Qrow punched him again. Taiyang didn’t block him. “I really fucking hate you, Xiao Long. Get me some damn pants.”

“They’re in the closet there.” Yep. Definitely broken. He could spend his semblance on that, but with Qrow fuming and Raven alternating between staring death upon him and smirking at her brother’s predicament, he really had to keep calm. “Hey, it’s not so bad. You have some real great legs, everyone thought so. You even played it off!”

Summer was invisible somewhere. Lucky Summer.

“Fuck you. You’re a real son of a bitch, you know that?” Qrow muttered as he changed into a pair of proper trousers.

 “Take that back.” His voice was deathly quiet.

“What?”

“Take. It. Back.” Taiyang glared at him as his nose snapped itself back into place with a crack, smoke coiling out of his nostrils. His knuckles tightened until they were white, fists shaking.

“I don’t know what you’re-“

“You don’t say a word about my mother, Qrow!” For the briefest moment, Taiyang’s pupils thinned to slits.

Qrow glanced at the blood on Taiyang’s face, the rage in his eyes, and saw Summer come into view with a scared expression. “Jeez, fine, I fucking retract that. Calm your shit.” He fixed the button on his trousers. “You’re still a bitch though.”

“Yeah, I got that.” He had to go. Right now. “I’m going to grab something from the lunch hall. See you in class. Sorry about the skirt thing.”

He strode out, disappearing into the elevator. He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, hands quaking. “Don’t lose control. Don’t lose control. He doesn’t know. He can’t know. He didn’t mean it.” He really lost his cool there. Okay. He’d wait until both of them had cooled off and he’d give Qrow a proper apology. He could take all the credit, if Summer wanted. That was fine. He could say sorry. It wasn’t right to prank his teammate like that on the first day.

Like it or not, they were a team. They needed to act like it.

He touched at his healed nose as he walked out into the courtyard, tossing the dining hall a glance. He didn’t feel hungry anymore. He sat by the fountain, dipping his hand into the water and wiping the blood off his face.

“Are you alright, Taiyang?” He looked up to see Bartholomew standing over him, eyes glinting worriedly behind his spectacles as his spotted tail lashed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Hi Bart.” Full name, Tai. “Bartholomew, sorry.”

“It’s fine, fine. Not a bother to it. I don’t mind Barty you can call me Barty since we are now friends and friends are allowed to use shortened derivatives of my mouthful of a name, yes. What happened?”

“Uh…” He pressed his hands together to stop the shakes. “Long story. I’ll tell you another time. How was your initiation?”

“Great, absolutely smashing, I’d say. My team and I recovered the wrist watches. Team BRON. It’s going well. Fantastic. Utterly brilliant.” He sipped his coffee, tail drooping slightly. “Couldn’t be better, no, not at all. Life at Beacon is definitely a step up in the world!”

Taiyang glanced at the drooping tail. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure! Braith is an excellent partner and a very strong-willed leader. There’s nothing wrong at all!” Oobleck’s tone turned defensive.

Taiyang nodded. “If you say so.” He did not like the sound of that. Maybe he should keep an eye on the other members of Team BRON.

“Yes, well, enough about me, how was your initiation?”

“I… well, my landing strategy consisted of crashing through about a gazillion trees and drawing the attention of half the Grimm in there, I met my partner, and then I set the forest on fire. Pretty well, aside from that.”

“You have an affinity for fire as well?” Bartholomew perked up, sipping his coffee.

“Yeah, I had some fire dust that I put in my weapons for the day. I might make it a permanent feature, actually.” Summer had a point. It could be good to have a bit more bite to his punches. “Your weapon uses fire dust?”

“Actually.” His thermos extended into a strange sort of melee weapon. “My semblance lets me turn sugars into fire. Or just make them explode, as a matter of fact. It’s quite handy to have coffee around then, quite handy indeed. I take my coffee with enough sugar, and I never need to so much as touch dust to destroy Grimm.” His tail twitched. “The speed is innate.”

“That’s the coolest thing ever!” Taiyang had stars in his eyes. “Holy crap, that’s awesome!”

“Thank you!” Oobleck grinned behind his spectacles. “That’s very kind of you to say.” He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Here! For your face. It’s always good to be prepared, I say.”

Taiyang patted his face dry, hoping he got the blood off. “Thanks. Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Yes, go ahead, that should be fine.”

“What’s Menagerie like?”

Bartholomew was silent for a moment as he drank from his thermos. “It’s peaceful. Crowded. Incredibly crowded, to be honest. The temperature is usually warm, although the nights can get a bit chilly at times, and we faunus have made the best of what we have. It isn’t much, but it’s ours. Although the fact that the Grimm are more dangerous than anywhere else in the world puts a little bit of a damper on things.”

His tail twitched. “My family and I didn’t actually live in any of the main villages. We lived a bit further in from the coast, in a caravan. They were very proud when I was accepted for Beacon,” he smiled. “I knew what I was getting myself into, Taiyang, don’t you worry. I can handle myself.”

Taiyang nodded. “I know. But hey, you can always talk to me. We’re friends, right?”

“Absolutely!” Bartholomew beamed at him, adjusting his glasses. “How is your team?”

“We’re-“ fighting, hated each other, divided, actual physical violence between him and his partner was a thing, “- doing great. Bit rough around the edges, but once we all get used to each other it’ll be fine. Definitely.”

Oobleck nodded. “It’ll all just take some getting used to, of course.” He glanced at his watch. “Great Scott, look at the time! Class starts in ten minutes. I best prepare. I’ll see you again soon, Taiyang. I do hope we have some classes together. I should be off, better an hour early then even a second late!”

Taiyang blinked as he disappeared off into one of the dorm blocks. He really was fast. Taiyang rested his elbows on his knees as he sighed, thinking about the droop in Bartholomew’s tail at the mention of his own teammates. Wiping blood off his own face from where Qrow broke his nose. Not that Qrow didn’t have a reason to hit him. Maybe Taiyang should leave.

“Yeah,” he chuckled bitterly. “Beacon’s definitely a step up in the world. No place I’d rather be.”

* * *

Qrow scowled as the door slammed, knuckles stinging from where he broke Xiao Long’s nose. “What the hell is his problem?”

“He’s so sensitive. If our mother got called a bitch I’d agree.” Raven practiced with her blade, timing herself as she drew, swiped, and sheathed the blade.

Qrow huffed a laugh at that, kicking his feet up onto the bed he’d claimed as his own. Xiao Long was a right piece of fucking work. Qrow hadn’t needed the reminder of how dumb the idea of a walking bad luck charm in a school full of violence-fuelled teenagers with sick weaponry was.

It was bad enough he had to watch the damn idiot fall, but then Raven had jabbed at him about it and he lost what little cool he had. He didn’t want to be around people when they suffered from his luck. Even if he hated them, it fucking sucked to be reminded that he had no control over his stupid semblance.

If only Raven wasn’t as thick as two short planks and had just made a portal to him after they landed, none of this would have happened. Raven sucked. Fuck Raven.

If she hadn’t partnered with a fucking coward, if he hadn’t noticed that the Beowolf was actually about to attack someone instead of just wandering around, if Xiao Long hadn’t made that stupid kilt comment. Fuck everything.

Maybe Xiao Long had a good idea, going for a walk. The dorm room felt cramped. He hated being indoors. Solid walls and a roof that wasn’t canvas felt unnatural. Raven took to it with ease, because everything went fucking perfectly for Raven. She was the _important_ twin. The older twin, the stronger twin, the useful twin, the better-in-every-fucking-way twin.

Born lucky, their mother said. Born with a _destiny_. Glesni loved that word. Destiny. Maybe that was why Qrow’s semblance was bad luck, because after his mother jabbering about it all the damn time, he hated the thought of destiny on principle. As far as mother was concerned, Raven was going to be more than just future leader of the Tribe. No, Raven was going to become the queen of the fucking world or something.

He really hated her sometimes.

Hell, she even had the better weapon! He never should have been gracious enough to give her first pick of the loot they found on clean up duty. Due to his fucking luck, he never went on actual raiding missions. They were all too scared he’d fuck it up, which he probably would. Raven got to go, of course. Bitch.

He had to pull his weight though. The Tribe had no room for the useless. So that left him acting like his damn namesake, scavenging the remains of towns destroyed by Grimm for anything useful. After all, it was always possible that they missed something in the first raid.

He hated it. He hated seeing the leftover destruction that was ninety percent of the time because his Tribe decided to help themselves and scare the shit out of the town. He hated seeing the ruins. The broken toys and trampled plants. He hated seeing the fucking bodies.

Raven didn’t have to go on those scavenging trips. She was too important. But she came anyway, because she was Saint Raven and who else would ever protect her poor unlucky brother? He was fairly certain that the scavenging missions were some sort of petty attempt by Mac Morna to kill him without having to try kill him.

He touched the blade by his side. His blade. He’d been… what was it now? Thirteen? Something like that. They were investigating a place that had been swarmed by Beringels a few days prior. That was when they found their weapons. Or more specifically, the corpses of Huntsmen that they’d looted their weapons from.

He thought about what Eep said. How most weapons had names. Did his have a name? Did the Huntress whose eyes were pecked out by crows give her weapon a name? He wondered what her name was. She’d starred in his nightmares a few times. Her torso had, at least. He’d never been able to find her legs.

Raven never had nightmares about the bodies they found. Why would she? That implied some sort of weakness, and unlike Qrow, Raven was strong. The weak die, the strong live. Those were the rules. Their mother had drummed that into their heads.

That was why Raven was here. She was the strongest, so of course she’d be the one to learn how to fight the Huntsmen that would give them trouble. To kill Huntsmen. Qrow, the jinx, got shunted along because without Raven protecting him, the Tribe would most definitely kill him. They got tired of miscarriages and infected wounds and freak storms destroying their camps. He didn’t blame them. He was tired too.

He stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor. He waited for the doors to close and for that dumb little ding to sound out. Instead what he got was the lights behind the buttons to shut off and the overhead to turn red, sirens wailing around him. Great. Now he’d broken the fucking elevator. He grumbled random curses under his breath as he stomped towards the stairs. He hated his stupid semblance. Stupid bad luck.

Qrow stepped outside and slammed the door shut behind him, his weapon strapped to his back. He could see all the students milling about in their uniforms, a bunch of idiots in a rush to get from something stupid to nothing at all.

He glanced at his own uniform, now with pants. Xiao Long was a dick. It was honestly the cleanest thing he and Raven had ever worn. In the Branwen Tribe, everything was third-hand at the newest.

He wondered if Raven had felt as scruffy and out of place as he had on their first day. Every other student was walking around in clothes they’d worn all their lives, that they’d fought in, trained in, and it was all pristine. It was all _theirs_. They were all individuals, and they looked like it. They looked like they’d lived actual lives, instead of just surviving.

Meanwhile, there was Raven and Qrow, the Branwen Twins, dressed in plain black shirts and trousers that had been circulating the Tribe since they were infants, wearing boots that had been stolen from people who hadn’t done anything to deserve it, carrying weapons that they had looted from the bodies of _real_ Huntsmen.

He punched the wall, which didn’t accomplish anything except making the knuckles of his other hand sting. Great.

He blamed Xiao Long. Vacuon bastard. Where did Xiao Long get off, trying to be all happy when he obviously couldn’t stand Qrow? He didn’t trust someone who was such an obvious liar, and who kept it up. Apparently the only way to see the real Xiao Long was to piss him off. Which was something Qrow was more than happy to do.

That was twice now. First time was with the twisted ankle. If Raven was the one with the bad luck semblance, she’d have felt nothing. But Qrow was, and hearing Xiao Long in pain was just another reminder that he didn’t belong here. The only reason he was here was because Raven didn’t want him dead. He owed her everything for that.

Then Xiao Long went and shattered a tree like it was glass. That was the real Xiao Long. Someone just as angry and hateful and bitter as Qrow. So why was he hiding it?

He saw it again today, when apparently he committed some kind of mortal sin by insulting the asshole’s mother. He swore that the guy’s eyes were almost reptilian in that moment. If Qrow hadn’t seen some downright horrific shit, he might have actually been intimidated.

Xiao Long deserved to have his nose broken for the skirt thing. Who the hell does that? Yeah, Qrow played it off, but that was because Raven was watching and he’d rather be eaten by a Nevermore then ever show any sort of embarrassment in front of Raven. He’d worn worse though.

But that didn’t matter, it was the principle of the thing. Apparently mention the guy’s mother was suddenly crossing the line? What the hell was with that guy? He was such a freak.

Apparently their team was just full of freaks.

He saw Xiao Long near the fountain, talking to the green-haired faunus. Was his hair natural? Green couldn’t be natural, right? He could see Xiao Long smiling all happily in that way that Qrow knew had to be fake somehow. No one was that happy. Ever.

Besides, Qrow had only met faunus on the rare occasions when they stumbled on the Tribe’s camp and had to be killed, but even he knew that humans hated them. So why the hell Xiao Long, someone from one of the Kingdoms, would be acting so nice to one would be a mystery. As for Qrow? He didn’t give a shit if someone had a tail or not, as long as they stayed the hell away from him. He despised people in general. Equal hate for all, or whatever.

Raven had beaten it into his skull that they had to act normal in Beacon, whatever normal for Kingdom people was, so that meant no drinking. It wasn’t like he drank all that much anyway. After all, he was just a scavenger and Raven’s tagalong twin, he wasn’t important enough in the Tribe to get anything good. If he wanted a drink, he had to steal it himself from the stores.

It usually wasn’t worth the consequences when they found out. The Tribe always found out. Since Raven was technically ranked higher then him, he had to listen to her about their mission. The mission was his last shot. If he and Raven learnt how to kill Huntsmen, then he’d finally be fucking useful. Raven was just securing her place as future leader. He was trying to make sure the Tribe wouldn’t kill him. That was the way things were. He needed her and she didn’t need him, but they stayed together anyway. Raven and Qrow. Glesni’s fledglings. The Branwen Twins. Always a single unit. He wouldn’t let anything break them apart.

He ran his hand through his hair. Fuck, he shouldn’t be thinking of all that shit. The Tribe was a continent away, over in Anima. There was nothing to worry about.

He should probably at least practice with his weapon. The sword and the gun were easy, but he was still getting the hang of the scythe form, even after four years. How the fuck did that tiny little Huntress do it?

He extended it into a sword, before he clicked the trigger for the scythe form. The gears whirred as the blade segmented and curved, the hilt extending in his hands until it was a proper scythe. He was fine at using it when he had speed behind him, such as when taking a running leap to decapitate a Beowolf. It was just doing anything other than dragging it behind him that set him off balance too much. How the fuck was this supposed to work?

“It’s been a while since I last saw a scythe like that.” Qrow nearly jumped out of his skin, turning to glare at Headmaster Ozpin. He wrenched the scythe behind him and raised it. That was uncomfortable.

“You’re not used to a scythe, are you?” The Headmaster smiled faintly, his brown hair touched with grey at the temples.

Qrow knew that Raven would be all polite, hiding her bitchiness. She was a great actress. She’d know exactly what to do. She was being groomed as leader, after all. He wished he was like her sometimes. But he wasn’t.

He shrugged sullenly, the weight of the blade bearing down on his scrawny frame. “I’m getting used to it.”

The Headmaster seemed to twinkle with mirth. Qrow hated him already. Ozpin sipped from his mug, brown eyes looking Qrow over with an almost calculating gleam. “You know, it would be much easier to hold if you rested the blade closer to the ground, and that way should you need to use it in an instant you already have it ready for a proper swing. Wielding a scythe is all about momentum, after all.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Qrow snapped at him, keeping the blade of his scythe above his shoulders.

Ozpin chuckled. “Well, this _is_ a school. It would be a pretty poor showing if I didn’t help a student improve his skills. Go on. Give it a try.”

Qrow sneered slightly. He should probably do it, just to blend in. He didn’t need help, though. Not like some Kingdom boy. He shifted the balance of the scythe so that the hilt of the blade was resting lightly on the ground, the rest of the staff bit behind his shoulders. He wouldn’t admit it, but it _was_ easier on him.

“Tell me, young man. What is a spirited young man like yourself doing with one of the most dangerous types of weapon a Huntsman can wield, without any idea how to use it properly?” Ozpin sipped from his mug, eyes twinkling. Qrow hated it. Ozpin was mocking him, he knew it.

“Family heirloom,” he lied easily. “My sister got the sword.”

“Ah, of course. There was no training you to properly use it?”

Qrow gritted his teeth. “I learnt to use the sword form. And it’s also a gun.” If it was stuck as just a scythe, he’d probably shoot himself with it.

Ozpin nodded. “A good variety. But a Huntsman should be capable with their weapon in every form. Otherwise they are dragging themselves down. Along with their team.”

Like Qrow gave a shit about his team. “Yeah, whatever, what am I going to do about it?”

“Well, you’ll just have to learn, won’t you?” Ozpin sipped his drink. “I can have some remedial lessons scheduled for you with a member of the staff who has experience with scythes. We want to help you to do your best here, Mr Branwen. At least think about it.”

He honestly didn’t know what Raven would tell him to do. Would she tell him to accept the lessons? He could learn how to use the scythe form, but whoever taught him might find out about the Tribe somehow. It was too risky. He could just keep it as a broadsword. Fuck Ozpin.

Ozpin seemed to take his silence as contemplation. “Well, I hope you decide soon. My office is always open for when you have your answer, Mr Branwen. Good day.” The Headmaster walked off, emerald scarf trailing behind him.

Qrow flipped him off when he was reasonably sure the headmaster wouldn’t see it, glancing down at the wickedly curved blade of his scythe. The Huntress he’d looted it from must have been real skilled with it. Did she hold it like this? What had she named her weapon? Why did she use a scythe?

“Who the hell were you?” He asked softly, looking at his reflection in the metal. Not like he’d ever find out.

He scoffed at himself, sheathing the weapon and placing it back on its holster. It didn’t matter. He and Raven had a mission to complete. Together or not at all. Nothing could change that.

Nothing _would_ change that.


	3. Prepare for your Finest Hour

Taiyang glanced at Summer. “You want us to spar?”

She nodded, her hood pulled up as she checked her scroll. “I think it could be a good idea. We are a team, and we should know how the others fight. Right?”

“What’s the matter, Xiao Long? Scared I’ll beat your ass?”

Taiyang took a deep breath. “Well, there are worse ways to spend the weekend.”

Raven smirked. “I’d love to spar. Yesterday’s class barely even bothered me. Such a shame.” Taiyang remembered the match, Raven brutally bringing her opponent down into the red. The rest of Team STRQ had spent the class on the side-lines. It was interesting.

Qrow ran his hand through his hair. “How are we matching up? Partners against partners?”

Summer tucked her hair behind her ear. “Um, if you want to, I suppose.” At least she wasn’t disappearing.

“Trust me, I’m ready for that. How about you, Xiao Long? You ever fought something that wasn’t a Grimm before?”

Taiyang counted to ten in his head. “Yeah. Have you?”

“Come now, little brother. Save it for the ring.” Raven trailed her fingers across Taiyang’s shoulders. “You too, Tai Tai.”

He tensed. Honestly he still wasn’t sure if Raven wasn’t just waiting for him to relax before deciding to shiv him in his sleep. Scary woman. Pretty, but scary. “Summer, if you think it’s best.” A fight might help get rid of the awkward, angry tension between him and Qrow. Or make it worse. He was willing to take that chance.

Summer nodded as they walked to one of the free training rooms. “I’ll be, um, I’ll be keeping an eye on your aura levels, and you should too. Once anyone’s aura goes below half, that’s the match done.”

“No aura break.” Taiyang adjusted the cuffs of his gloves. “Got it.”

“You’re both using weapons, I assume?” Raven rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, looking like she was already bored.

Qrow nodded. “Why not? I’m not dumb enough to fight a Grimm without one.”

Taiyang could and had. “Raven, Summer, would you like to go first?”

Raven shook her head. “No, no, impress me.”

Summer shook her head, tugging on her cloak as the white fabric snagged in the door.

Qrow scoffed and walked into the ring, extending his weapon into the broadsword form. “Bring it, Xiao Long.”

The metal of Taiyang’s gauntlets extended over his fingers and up his arms as he punched his fists together. He settled into a low stance, one leg back with the heel resting off the ground. His kept his fists up, breathing deep into his nose.

He waited.

Qrow’s patience snapped first, lunging forward with blistering speed. Taiyang brought both forearms up for the sword to clang off, his feet skidding back slightly from the power behind the lunge. He was already at a clear disadvantage and he knew it. Qrow’s sword gave him more reach and could do a lot more damage without him needing to be in Taiyang’s range.

He glanced down at Qrow’s stance, filing it away in his mind as he blocked another swing on his armoured forearm. He shot out a quick jab of his own to Qrow’s chest, the other man instantly darting back before he got hit.

Qrow was fast, his stance was good, and he knew what he was doing. Taiyang stepped to the side in a zigzagging motion to avoid another strike, landing on his toes and pivoting to slam a hook kick into Qrow’s thigh. A kick to the head was just asking for him to get a limb chopped off, but if he kept low, that could work.

Qrow’s aura shielded him from the worst of the blow as he staggered slightly, the blade of his sword swinging down as he aimed it at Taiyang and took the shot.

Taiyang crossed his arms in front of his face, getting blown off his feet nonetheless. He twisted in the air, catching himself on his hand to push himself back into a fighting stance. His feet slipped out from under him as he landed hard on his back, quickly rolling to the side to avoid the downwards swing of Qrow’s weapon.

He stayed on the ground, spinning his body like a pendulum as he brought his leg around to kick Qrow in the side and knocked him across the ring. Qrow dug his sword into the ground to slow him down, red eyes narrowed.

Taiyang got back up, fists clenched as he guarded his face, charging at Qrow and tanking another shotgun blast that he really should have prepared for. This time he didn’t dodge fast enough. Qrow’s weapon landed hard on his ribs, Taiyang’s aura engaging to block it.

Taiyang’s heel shot up, accompanied a loud kiai as he kicked Qrow under the chin. Taiyang bared his teeth and sprang to his feet, alternating between jabs, crosses, palm-heel strikes, and hooks, trying to find a weak point in Qrow’s guard. He wanted to knock that smug smirk off Qrow’s face, preferably by returning the favour of the broken nose.

Qrow blocked them all on his sword, each punch being met with a metallic clang.  Taiyang felt the kick to the gut before he had time to block it, Qrow pushing him back to be able to use the distance that his sword granted him.

Taiyang brought his knee and elbow together in a solid wall of armoured forearm and aura-strengthened shin to protect himself from the hit, before bringing his foot down, preparing to twist himself into a cyclone kick. It was one of his favourite moves.  

His ankle rolled under him and he went down, barely catching his balance before the flat of Qrow’s blade hit hard into his ribs. He went to rise again when he heard the click and looked down a shotgun barrel, the hilt of Qrow’s weapon levelled at his head.

“This is the part where I blow your brains out.”

Taiyang looked into Qrow’s cold gaze, his dark blue eyes burning with rage. If he wanted to, really wanted to, he could tap into his semblance, set his ankle alight as fuel for the fire, for his strength, rip the weapon out of Qrow’s hands and put his fist through the other boy’s head.

He took a deep breath and remembered his mother’s mantra.

_‘Control yourself, let others do what they will. This does not make you weak, my little sun dragon.’_

Taiyang raised his hands, sheathing _Ránshāo de Huǒyàn._ He smiled, regardless of the shotgun being aimed between his eyes. No one liked a sore loser.

“Thanks for the fight.”

“What.”

“You won. I’m congratulating you.”

“What.”

“Can you please stop pointing that thing at me?”

Qrow sheathed his weapon, looking utterly poleaxed. He looked over at Raven who shrugged and mouthed ‘weirdo’.

Taiyang pushed himself back to his feet, holding his twisted ankle off the ground. “Why is it always that foot?” He muttered to himself.

Summer appeared beside him. “Are you alright? Should I take you to the infirmary?”

Taiyang waved her off “No, I’m fine, seriously. I’ve had worse.” He could heal it with his semblance, but he was already running on a week’s worth of anger, and adding that to the rage he’d get from healing himself? He didn’t want to think about what would happen. Would that be enough? Would that push him over the edge until he was waking up hours later with blood on his knuckles and someone else badly hurt?

He wouldn’t ever risk losing control ever again. “Seriously, Summer. It’ll be all fixed by tomorrow, maybe sooner. It’s not broken, I know it.” He started to hop over to the side of the ring when Summer took his elbow, letting him lean some of his weight on her. “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing.” She made sure he was sitting before she looked at Raven. “So, um?”

“Let’s go, Rosey.” Raven drew her scarlet blade with a wicked smile.

“Eep!” Summer disappeared.

Taiyang took off his gloves as he settled back to watch, massaging his knuckles and leg as Qrow perched behind him. “Why didn’t you heal yourself with your semblance like in the forest?”

He remembered that? Taiyang paused before he answered, wondering how best to word it. Or just leave things out entirely. “Well, we were in a forest full of Grimm, so I had to be at my best. Why waste my semblance here when I can just let my aura take care of it?” He placed his gloves on the bench beside him.

“You’re fucking weird.”

“Shhh! I wanna watch!” He leaned forward slightly as Raven cocked her hip, waiting for Summer to reappear.

Summer flickered back into view, swinging _Meteora Bloom_ at Raven’s head. Raven leapt into the air as Summer charged, axe blades extending out of her weapon as she swung it at where Raven was. Raven pulled her knees up to avoid the hit, slamming her feet down onto the blades as she wrenched her ōdachi out of mid-air, aiming it at Summer’s head.

Summer barely dodged, the reddish tips of her ebony hair getting sliced off by the blade. She twisted her hands as the blades sheathed, leaving Raven with nothing to stand on as she fell. Raven landed in a crouch and lunged, meeting the chain that connected the two halves of Summer’s weapon.

The two girls struggled against each other for a moment before Raven smirked, kicking at Summer’s leg and knocking it out from under her. Summer went down as Raven raised her sword, aiming for a blow that would knock Summer’s aura down below half.

Summer rolled out of the way and snapped _Meteora Bloom_ ’s two halves back together, dodging Raven’s strike. She pointed one end at Raven, the chain propelling out out as the end of _Meteora Bloom_ hit Raven in the stomach. Raven’s copper aura absorbed the hit as Summer yanked the end of her weapon back to her.

Summer cracked the chain of her weapon like a whip before she lashed it out at Raven again. Raven freed her sword in time to block the attacks, back-flipping away as she sheathed the blade and pressed the trigger on the hilt. The rotary chamber spun before she unsheathed a blade of crackling yellow, blocking Summer’s next attack as lightning raced down the chain.

Summer yelped as the electricity shocked her, dropping her weapon as Raven charged. Summer darted to the side, cloak flowing out behind her as she reached for her weapon. Raven’s foot came down on _Meteora Bloom_ as the red-eyed girl sneered, sheathing her weapon. “Not so tough without your precious weapon, are you?”

Summer disappeared.

Raven gnashed her teeth with a snarl, readying the scarlet blade of her ōdachi as she looked around for Summer. She turned, unsure of where Summer would attack her from.

Qrow’s attention was locked on his sister. “Come on, Raven, you’ve faced weirder,” he muttered. Taiyang barely heard him, eyes scanning for a glimpse of their team leader. He held his breath as the seconds dragged on, no sign of Summer Rose. Raven was looking increasingly twitchy as the second turned into a minute. What was Summer doing?

Part of _Meteora Bloom_ ’s chain shifted and Raven pounced with a violent grin, her ōdachi impaling the ground.

“Eep!” There was the sound of hasty running as Summer’s white-cloaked form flickered back into view, diving for one of the hilts of her weapon. Raven slammed her shoulder into Summer just as her slim fingers grasped the metal.

Summer went flying, hitting the ground hard and rolling a few feet. She pushed herself back onto her hands and knees, retracting the chain of her weapon as it slithered towards her. Raven lunged, her ōdachi swinging at Summer’s free hand, her unprotected side.

Summer raised her hand as the blade met her palm, her silver aura flickering over her pale skin.

Summer tightened her grip on Raven’s blade, her aura protecting her from cutting her fingers off. The other end of _Meteora Bloom_ swept under Raven’s feet, knocking her off-balance as Summer hit her in the leg, taking her leg fully out as Raven fell to the ground.

Raven let go of her weapon to catch herself, quickly spinning to kick Summer in the gut. Summer blocked the hit with _Meteora Bloom_ , tossing Raven’s ōdachi to the side before she lifted her weapon, the axe blades extending as she swung it down into Raven’s side.

Raven’s aura flickered protectively as she took the hit before getting away, her hair falling out of its tie as she let out an angry yell, charging at Summer.

Summer ducked under the swipe of the blade, getting kicked in the face hard enough to make Taiyang and Qrow wince. She stumbled back, holding her nose before she dodged a feral strike from Raven’s weapon.

Fear glinted in Summer’s eyes as she backed away, raising her axe. Raven lunged as Summer jumped, landing on Raven’s shoulders and using her as a springboard to gain more height. Raven stumbled, Summer’s weight sending her off-balance before Summer let out her own battle cry, the flat of her axe head slamming into Raven’s back and sending the taller girl to the ground.

Summer landed in a crouch, keeping her weapon at the ready as she checked her scroll. “Um. I think I win. You’re under half.” She sheathed her weapon and placed it in the holder on her thigh. “Are you okay?”

Raven picked herself, her black hair falling in her eyes as she glared at Summer. She snarled as she grabbed her weapon, storming towards Qrow as he laughed at her defeat. She punched him in the shoulder hard enough to make his own aura appear. “Shut up!”

 “I’m sorry?” Summer sheathed her weapon.

“You cheated!” Raven pointed at her. “You used your semblance!”

“Eep! I’m sorry!” Summer disappeared.

Taiyang raised his hands. “Hey, Raven, it’s okay not to win all the time.”

“Of course you would think that.” She looked at Qrow for support, and saw only his glare. She scoffed, sheathing her weapon as she tried to smooth her hair back down. The door slammed behind her.

Summer reappeared, nervously wringing her hands. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make her feel bad.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Qrow crossed his arms as he leaned back in his seat. “Raven’s ego could use some bruises.” He glanced at Taiyang. “Why didn’t you act the same?”

He laughed. “You honestly think I’ve never lost a fight? Well first of all, I’m flattered.”

“Not what I meant, dumbass.”

Taiyang restrained his laughter to a grin. “I know. Anyway, my mom taught me how to fight. But she also taught me that I wouldn’t win every fight. Sometimes you just have to take your hits and try better next time.” His grin grew. “Besides, I was going up against a sword with just my fists. Any way you slice it, I would have lost.”

“And you went from sounding somewhat smart to being an idiot in the space of three sentences. Amazing.” Qrow rolled his eyes. “You losers keep making your stupid jokes. I’ve got shit to do that’s actually important.”

“Like what?”

* * *

 

Qrow staggered to the side of the training room that had been set aside for his remedial scythe lessons, wiping sweat off his forehead as he caught his breath. Fuck. That was tough. Why were scythes so damn hard to use?

The reason he was so worn out? He’d told Raven about Ozpin’s offer. She’d smacked the back of his head and told him to get the lessons. If he didn’t know how up herself she was, he’d almost think she wanted him to succeed.

No. That wasn’t fair. He’d lived seventeen years at the bottom of the pecking order, living in the ever-changing world of a bandit tribe. There were only a few things that were constants in his world. Steady facts that never changed. The first was how the tribe treated him. As a bad luck charm, bringing constant misfortune. It made him the lowest of the low there. A scavenger.

The second was Raven. The silver lining. His twin. Even when he was the bottom of the pack, she was always there for him. Protecting him, helping him, always by his side. She was his family. Even if she was a pain in the ass.

“You seem rather exhausted.” He looked up at Headmaster Ozpin as the man sipped from his mug. The man had an addiction to whatever that drink was.

Qrow shrugged, picking up the hilt of his scythe again as his arms trembled from exertion. He’d decided to wear his school uniform for this, rather than the tattered stuff he and Raven had. “I can keep going.” The weak die. The strong live.

“Hardly.” Qrow glared at him. Ozpin smiled slightly. “Seeing as the lesson is over for today.”

Qrow’s shoulder sagged with relief before he could stop them, sheathing his weapon and clipping it to his back. Fuck that was intense. “So I’m excused?”

“You are. I recommend you practice those drills I gave you before your next lesson. You’ll see it appearing on your schedule from now on.”

Qrow rolled his aching shoulders. “So why are you teaching me and not someone else?”

“Well, because I’m the only teacher here who has had experience with the art of the scythe. They’re not common. They’re rather dangerous, actually. It’s all about using your momentum, balance, and the weight of the scythe blade to your advantage. A wrong move and you could risk losing a limb, or injuring a teammate. That is why it is important to practice the drills and get used to the weapon sooner rather than later, to avoid an unfortunate event.”

Qrow almost laughed at the bad choice of words. Unfortunate event, hey? Looked like someone would be losing a limb to his scythe. “Yeah, got it. Practice before I hurt someone.” Ozpin used a cane. How did he know so much about scythes?

“Exactly. You can go, Mr Branwen.” Ozpin gestured with his coffee mug towards the door, that damn enigmatic smile etched into his face.

Qrow slouched out, hands in his pockets. He could feel callouses forming, even with his aura. He pulled out his scroll, provided for them by Beacon, and picked Raven’s name. She was his only contact by choice. Summer was there because he didn’t know how to delete her off. Xiao Long’s name was nowhere to be seen, thank fuck.

He typed the message with one hand, keeping just enough of an eye on his surroundings to see everything without looking like he was paying any attention at all. _‘Finished with Pinhead. Where are you?’_

The scroll buzzed almost immediately. _‘Out. See you on my return.’_

He groaned and cursed, letting his lanky frame curve backwards for a minute as he stared at the cloudy sky. Ugh. Of course Raven would be out. She was dying to scope out Vale for good places to hit. She’d get away with it too, as long as he and his semblance weren’t around.

He kept walking towards the dorms, hoping to get in before the sky actually went through with the threat of rain, a scuffle near the library catching his attention.

It took him a second to recognise Xiao Long’s green-haired friend, the class know-it-all, looking pretty upset, his glasses askew and his books scattered around him. Not that he looked concerned about that. The blue-haired asshole yanking on Greeny’s cheetah tail was the main event. He looked familiar. Weren’t they team members? Looked like it was normal for teams to hate each other.

Qrow glanced around at the crowd to see what everyone else was doing, just to see how he was meant to react to it. Either they agreed with it or they ignored it and let it happen. Apparently that was just how things went. That was easy to do. He’d seen mother execute the random faunus who found their camp. Getting a tail yanked seemed pretty harmless in comparison.

He ignored the look Greeny shot him and walked off, reaching his dorm. He remembered where he saw that blue-haired guy from. Yeah. He was perving on Raven and Summer with all the charm and grace of a serial killer. What a prick. For once Qrow had shared Xiao Long’s feelings. They both wanted to knock Barbleue’s head off his shoulders.

Qrow shot a glance at the elevator as he walked inside the dorm building, remembering how he broke it last week, and decided the stairs were his best option. Even though everything hurt.

How did the Huntress who owned the scythe do it? She looked tiny. Or maybe that was the missing legs, he wasn’t sure.

He almost collapsed when he reached his floor, tapping his scroll against the lock to open it before he landed face first on the nearest bed. He didn’t give a shit if it was his.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Qrow cracked open an eye, glancing at Xiao Long.

“Doesn’t matter to you.”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, can you do it on your own bed, please?”

Qrow lifted his head to properly look at him. “Or what?”

“Or, uh-”

“You’ll do what?” Qrow raised a brow. “Hit me? Push me off? Come on, Xiao Long, what are you going to do?”

“Can’t you just get off my bed, please?” There it was. That deep breath before Xiao Long put on that fake cheer. Liar. Faker. Just get mad, Xiao Long. Qrow knew he wanted to.

Qrow sneered. “Make me.”

Xiao Long clenched his fists, huffing a small cloud of smoke before he pressed his hands to his face. What was he doing? That smoke was his semblance, Qrow recognised it from the forest. What was Xiao Long playing at?

“Fine. Okay. I’ll just be going to the library then or something.” What?

“What? Why?”

“Because I want to study.” He started packing up his books.

Qrow snagged his wrist in an iron grip, hard enough to bruise. Xiao Long’s eyes looked down at Qrow’s hand before dark blue met red. Qrow swore that he saw Xiao Long’s pupils narrow, like snake eyes. What the fuck.

“Let go of me.” There it was. That anger that Xiao Long was trying to pretend didn’t exist.

Qrow cocked his head slightly, still wearing his most infuriating smirk. “Why should I?”

Xiao Long’s eyes flared golden-orange and Qrow felt his back hit the wall, hard enough to cause cracks before his backside hit the floor. Fuck. He could feel the deep red of his aura flickering protectively over his back as he gasped for air, the wind knocked out of his lungs. He touched the middle of his chest where Xiao Long hit him, glancing up at the other teenager.

Xiao Long’s hand was out in that same weird hand gesture he’d done a few times in their spar, the tops of his fingers curled in like claws. Smoke vented out of his nose and mouth with every huff, his eyes clenched shut. He opened them again, back to their usual dark blue as they filled with concern and- was that fear?

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have- are you okay?” Xiao Long’s outstretched hand shook slightly.

Qrow glared at him. “Fuck off,” he rasped.

Xiao Long’s breath hitched before he ran, leaving the door open behind him. Qrow heard him trip halfway down the hall. Nice one, semblance. Being a bad luck charm wasn’t always shit.

Qrow groaned as he rested his head back against the wall. “Raven’s going to kill me.”

* * *

 

Taiyang’s hands shook as he took the stairs three at a time, barging past anyone who got in his way and out the dorm building. He slowed to a halt when he was outside, counting back down in his head from ten until his hands stopped quaking and he couldn’t feel the rage constricting in his chest.

This couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t- he’d attacked a teammate. Qrow was his partner, and it didn’t matter if he was irritating and goading. Qrow was his partner and Taiyang hit him across the room hard enough to wind him. What if Qrow didn’t have his aura activated? Taiyang could have killed him.

He could have killed Qrow.

He clenched his fists so hard that his nails drew blood, trying to focus on the pain instead of the fear. He lost control. It was only for a second, but that didn’t matter. First it was a second. Then it was longer. More dangerous.

He couldn’t stay here. Not on Team STRQ. It couldn’t happen. He couldn’t handle this. Not when Taiyang was a bomb waiting to go off around Qrow. The other teenager just made him so angry, all the time. It was killing Taiyang to bite back the fury, when he could end it all in a heartbeat and _make_ Qrow fear him. People didn’t fear men. They feared monsters.

Taiyang could make Qrow afraid. He could make him burn.

“No. No, I’m not like that. Control yourself, control yourself, control yourself.” His breath started to pick up as the world started to white out, colours fading from his vision. Not here, please not here. He couldn’t black out here.

_“Deep breaths,”_ his mother would tell him when the world paled. _“Take ten deep breaths. If you can’t take ten. Take five. Breathe.”_

Taiyang closed his eyes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

He felt his heart rate starting to slow, his hands stilling as his shoulders slumped. He pressed his hands together, interlocking his fingers to give him something to focus on. He had to do something. He couldn’t just stand here with his thoughts.

That would be bad.

What was he doing earlier? He was studying. He should go to the library. Yes, somewhere with lots of books he could distract himself with. That was a good idea. Keep moving forward.

He started walking towards the library, wiping his hands on his trousers. He had to talk to Summer. He didn’t doubt Qrow would tell his sister, but it was only fair that he told Summer too. He walked in, staring at all the books. Where did he start?

“Ah! Taiyang!” A haggard-looking Oobleck stood in front of him in a gust of wind, coffee cup in hand. “Good to see you, how are you? How have your studies been are you here to study I feel like it’s been absolute ages since we caught up, I’d say so.”

“Nice to see you too, Barty.” Taiyang tried to smile.

“Are you alright, Taiyang? You look a little grim.”

“As long as I don’t get red eyes and a hankering to kill all humans, I think I’ll be fine.”

“This is hardly the time for jokes. Even if that one was quite good and actually reminds me of a rather excellent joke I heard over the summer where a Huntress, a Schnee, and a Geist walk into a bar and what am I talking about this is not the time for jokes but do remind me to tell you that one later as it was by all rights very hilarious.” Oobleck peered over his glasses, squinted, and put them back on again. “I don’t know why I think doing that will make my vision better when it obviously won’t. You look pale.”

“You look tired. How heavy are those bags under your eyes?’

“… You’re not wrong.” Bartholomew sipped his coffee, spotted tail lashing once. “Well, how about we leave those subjects well enough alone and do some learning? Come on, I want you to meet someone.” He grabbed Taiyang’s wrist and tugged him along.

Taiyang wasn’t in the biggest mood for contact at the moment. “Uh, can I have my hand back?”

“Right, yes, of course! Terribly sorry!” Bartholomew let go, taking the moment to adjust his glasses. “Taiyang, I’d like you to meet Glynda. She’s a third year here and she’s been helping me find the right books for our History of Grimm report ever since I ran into her earlier today and got coffee everywhere sorry about that by the way anyway onto the studying! It’s been very informative!”

Taiyang held out his hand to the other woman for her to shake. “Taiyang Xiao Long.”

“Glynda Goodwitch.” She shook his hand before pushing her glasses up, her blonde hair falling in perfectly curled ringlets over her shoulders, kept out of her face by a silver headband. “You and Bartholomew are friends?”

“We are. And I, uh, saw you in the Vytal Tournament last year. Your team did really well.”

Glynda smiled faintly, green eyes sparkling. “Why thank you. Yes, I’m still amazed we made it all the way through to the finals.”

“I still think they should have chosen you for the singles round.”

She tapped her riding crop on the desk as the pile of books threatening to topple sorted itself with her telekinesis. “My team thought that would be cheating. Besides, the twins did very well for themselves. Now, I understand that you have a report on Deathstalkers as well?”

“Huh? No, I actually got the…” He tried to pronounce the word, tilting his head and squinting at it. “Nucke- Nucka- uh…” How.

“Nuckelavee! A fearsome Grimm that in early cultures was believed to be the tortured spirit of a warrior and his warhorse and was believed to have its arrival consistently heralded by thunder, which is a very strange belief and it is now theorised that due to the Nuckelavee attacking coastal and mountainous areas that it’s hoof-falls merely created the effect of thunder by echoing off surrounding cliffs and valleys!”

“Yeah, Barty. That one. I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s from Northern Mistral.” She adjusted the tie of her uniform.

“Well, there are plenty of books on Mistralian Grimm. If you’ll follow me, both of you.” She strode off, pointing her riding crop at a trolley of books in her way before it shunted itself to the side.

Taiyang had stars in his eyes. “That semblance is the coolest thing I have ever seen. In my life.”

“It’s very impressive! And she’s also very nice, which is, well, nice.” Bartholomew fidgeted, his tail in both his hands as they followed the third year. “Yes, the teacher’s assistant, Mr Port, told me to come here to the library if I wanted some peace and quiet. I can see why, it’s very calm here. Have you met Port yet? He was apparently very amused by that stunt that your teammate pulled with the skirt.” The tip of his tail twitched.

“Yeah. Calm is good.” He didn’t want to think about the skirt thing. He could feel himself relaxing at the smell of books. His mother loved books, whenever she could get her hands on them. “Hey, Barty, you know you can always talk to me about anything. Right?”

“I-I know. There’s just nothing to talk about. Thank you for your concern.” His tail tucked timidly between his legs as they caught up to Glynda.

Glynda waved her riding crop like a wand, books coming off the shelves and waiting in front of the two first years. Taiyang held out his arms and was rewarded with a pile of books on Northern Mistral and Grimm. “Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just a relief to see the library being used for actual study, instead of stupid games or gossip.”

Taiyang nodded, taking the pile of books Oobleck was struggling with and shifting his own pile to one hand as he carried them to a table. “So, what’s being a third year like?”

Glynda studied him for a moment, tapping her riding crop against her thigh. “Well, at first it was difficult. My teammates are an eclectic bunch. I wasn’t exactly too pleasant myself, to be honest. But now? I can’t imagine not being part of team MIRG. How about you two?”

“My team can be… a bit to handle.” Oobleck sipped his coffee. “But it’s nothing to worry about, really, I expected that there would be some… _tension_ , so it’s nothing I’m not capable of handling. Nothing at all.”

Taiyang scowled. “Well, I think anyone who gives you trouble just because you have a tail shouldn’t be training to be a Huntsman.”

Glynda raised a brow. “We’d probably have to kick out most of the school then. You shouldn’t get so upset about things you can’t change.” She picked a random book off the shelf and flipped through it. “No matter how infuriating it is.”

“I’m just glad that Headmaster Ozpin accepted my application to come here, when I know his predecessor would have tossed it out. Or burnt it, even!” Bartholomew looked over his glasses at Taiyang. “I don’t need you to worry about me. I’m well able to take care of myself. I know what I am. I just want you to be my friend. Not my protector. We’re Huntsmen-in-training. This is what we do.”

Taiyang huffed, staring at the sketch of the equine Grimm in front of him. “I know.” His mother said the same to him in her letter. It didn’t make it any easier. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“What about your team, Taiyang?” Glynda asked her perfect blonde ringlets bouncing around her face like a halo.

Taiyang slumped in his seat. “It… everything’s going great.” What if Qrow wasn’t as fine as he seemed? He could have broken ribs. He could be internally bleeding. Taiyang shouldn’t have left. He was a horrible teammate. A despicable human being.

“If I can talk to you about things, you should be able to talk to me. After all, that makes up the backbone of a good friendship. And probably many other important organs as well!”

Taiyang smiled. “I know, Barty. Thanks. Thanks to you too, Glynda. This book is exactly what I need for my report.”

“It’s not a problem.” She snapped her own book shut. “Now, I’ll leave you to your studies then. If you need help finding anything else, feel free to ask. I am the librarian aide here.”

“Thank you Glynda!” Bartholomew waved goodbye as she walked off, fixing a lopsided shelf with a wave of her weapon. “Isn’t she something?”

Taiyang nudged him with a sly grin. “Got a crush?”

“Push off, you.” Bartholomew swatted Taiyang with a book. “Go read about your horse Grimm.”

Taiyang chuckled, reading and taking notes on how the Nuckelavee was believed by the superstitious to be a harbinger of thunderstorms.

* * *

 

Raven rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, legs crossed as she slouched in the chair like she owned it. She always had to look in control. If she looked in control, she WAS in control. That was how the world worked.

She glanced at her partner out of the corner of her eye, smirking as the shorter girl pulled her hood down over her eyes. How embarrassing for her family, to have her be the only candidate to get to Beacon when she was so hopeless and scared.

Raven scoffed, returning her attention to Headmaster Ozpin as he studied them. She didn’t particularly care for the knowing in his eyes, but she’d never let on that anything bothered her. She was the best, after all.

Qrow seethed next to her. Taiyang had hit him. If Qrow didn’t tell her to drop it, she’d cut his throat for daring to attack her twin. No one messed with Qrow, not when Raven was around to protect him. He was her closest family. Nothing could ever change that and if anything tried, she’d kill it.

“Thank you all for coming. As I told Miss Rose, here at Beacon we tend to avoid altering team dynamics unless the case is extreme. However, due to what the teachers have reported, I have scheduled you all in for weekly sessions with the school counsellor.”

Qrow sat upright with a jolt. “What the- you’re joking.”

“I assure you, Mr Branwen. I am not joking.”

“We don’t need counselling or any of that crap!”

“The reports on your academic progress and your initiation state otherwise, Mr Branwen. Particularly when concerning the partnership between you and Mr Xiao Long.”

Taiyang shifted uncomfortably, staring up at the gears above them. Qrow crossed his arms, staring daggers into the other boy. They were so immature.

Ozpin steepled his fingers on his desk, looking over the rims of his spectacles at them. “Your sessions are scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, after classes, and weekly from then on until they are no longer required. I hope that things grow easier for you all.”

He sipped his coffee. “Now, may I have a word with Miss Rose?”

“Eep!” Summer disappeared. Raven’s lips quirked. Truly an inspiring leader for the ages.

Taiyang and Qrow shuffled out, both looking increasingly uncomfortable with each other. Raven followed, stopping once she was out of the doorway and hiding beside it, curious to hear what Ozpin would say.

“Headmaster Ozpin?” That voice was Summer’s. Whispery and faint and shy. Like she was scared someone would hear her. Raven’s lip curled. That girl was incapable of leading. Raven had already had plenty of experience leading raids. Why wasn’t she leader when she was clearly better in every way?

“You’re wondering why I made you the leader of Team STRQ.” Raven wondered if it was purely so it could spell out ‘stark’. Even though Ozpin had barely any grey in his hair, he acted senile enough to be much older.

“Y-yes, sir. I- I think that you made a mistake. I’m no leader.”

Ozpin chuckled. Raven’s scarlet eyes narrowed, straining to hear what would be said next. “Miss Rose, I want to ask you something. If you were not leading this team, who would you feel comfortable following?”

Summer was silent. Raven would have killed to be in her head at that moment. What was she thinking? Raven was the obvious choice. She was strong, clever, and commanded every room she walked into with her mere presence. It wasn’t like Qrow could lead anything.

Raven loved her brother, but he wasn’t smart. His semblance only made him a worse choice for leader then even Summer. That was why Raven always protected him, because he couldn’t be trusted to keep himself safe. Taiyang was definitely not a leader. He was a useful weapon to point at something, if she was being generous.

“I- I don’t know.” Raven grinded her teeth. Summer really was a dense little girl, wasn’t she? Raven was destined to be a leader. Born for greatness. What was Summer, but a scared child in a white cloak?

“I don’t think that I made a mistake, Miss Rose. But don’t worry about what I think. You should try be the sort of leader that you yourself would follow. How else can you expect your team to do the same?”

Raven scowled and walked off, so as not to be caught snooping. Not that Summer would do anything other than whimper and vanish.

She saw her twin up ahead and caught up with him, slinging her arm casually around his shoulder in the way she knew he hated. “You seem so dour, little brother. Have you and dear Tai Tai been fighting again?”

“Like you don’t want to kill him in his sleep too. Will you get off? Your shortness is making my spine compress.”

She smirked at him, latching on tighter as her dark mane fell down her back. “Apparently our idiot of a leader seems to think she’s better for the position than I am. How rude.”

“Well, if you can think of a colour that begins with R and has the rest of our initials in it, then you can be leader. Since that’s the only fucking criteria here. I swear the rules of this place were thought up by a loony.”

“Maybe they were.” Her ruby eyes glinted. “After all, they have such horrible security. I mean, we got in.”

“They probably just haven’t heard about the Branwens here in Vale. Don’t overthink things.”

“Is the bruise still there?”

“What? No, my aura took care of it. I’m not completely useless, you know.”

“I know.” Her smile softened slightly. Only he’d be able to tell. “That’s why we’re here. We’re the best of the best.”

“We’re here because we’re the right age, don’t flatter yourself.”

“Would it kill you to be the optimist for once, little brother?” She walked to the elevator, knowing he’d follow. “Try to be positive.”

“I’m positive that if Barbleue ever hits on you again, I’ll gut him like a fish and show him what his kidneys look like.”

“Well, obviously you’ll have to get in line for that. But nice try.” She stepped inside as the doors opened.

He slouched after her, hands in his pockets. “I can’t believe we’re going to some stupid counselling session.”

“Well, I think it’s mostly because Xiao Long’s temper is secretly horrible, but the other main thing is that you can’t leave him alone. Why do you like messing with him so much, Qrow? Are you finally enjoying not being the runt of the pack for once?”

“Raven, have you ever heard of shutting the hell up? It’s fun, you should try it.”

“Don’t be angry because I’m right.” She grabbed his wrist. “I know you, Qrow. We’re twins. We are here for a reason. Don’t forget that just because you finally have people lower then you.”

“I know why we’re here!” He glared at her. “I know. Believe me, Rae, I have a bigger stake in this then you do.”

Her eyes were gentle. It was a rare thing. “Qrow. We will get stronger. The Tribe needs us too. They’re our family. Once we’re finished here, we can go home, both of us. Get a hero’s welcome.”

He sighed and smiled at her, devoid of his usual sharp edges. “No more scavenging like carrion birds.”

“Exactly.” The elevator dinged as they reached the ground floor. “Show time, little brother. Remember, we’re Branwens. That makes us the best.”

* * *

 

Taiyang fumed as Qrow stormed out of the counselling session, his fists shaking. What the hell was Qrow’s problem? His heart pounded in his ears as his blood boiled. No. You know what? He was not fucking done with this. Not yet.

He followed, teeth gritted to the point of pain as he stomped out into the evening air. It felt almost too cold against his hot skin. Qrow was by the fountain, wearing that stupid dark red cape he’d stitched into his oversized black shirt.

“Hey!” His hand clamped down on Qrow’s shoulder. “We’re not done here.”

“No? What else do you have to say? Come on, Xiao Long, going to punch me into another wall?”

“You’re insane! Even now, you still think you’re better than me, don’t you?” He bared his teeth.

“I don’t think. I _know_. Look at yourself. You’re a damn animal.”

Taiyang stumbled back like he’d been slapped in the face. “You- I-”

“Use your words, Xiao Long. Don’t they teach you that in Vacuo?”

“Shut up.” His nails bit into his palms. “I have been trying to be nice. I don’t know if I’ve been managing, but I have been trying. Trying not to hate you. But it’s like you want to be hated and I just-”

“Shut up.”

“What? Why you-”

“Shh!”

“Don’t shush me, we have to sort this out!”

“Will you shut up? Listen.”

Taiyang fell silent, hands shaking as he shoved them in his pockets. Then he heard it. Laughter. Cruel laughter. The sort that sent chills down his spine and curdled his blood.

“Who is-”

Qrow slapped his hand over Taiyang’s mouth. “I said shut it. It’s getting closer.”

Taiyang wondered if licking Qrow’s hand would be worth the fight. Probably not. He stayed quiet, letting Qrow drag them into the shadows of the school building as the laughter grew closer.

* * *

 

Summer scurried out the door after her teammates, still shaking from the fight she just witnessed and her own internal thoughts. She was still thinking about what Ozpin said. Raven did seem like the obvious choice. How was she meant to know the sort of person she would want as a leader? Even worse than that, how was she meant to be that person?

She hadn’t expected this. She felt the wind ruffle her hair as she stepped outside and pulled her hood back up. Her cloak was her shield form the world, even more so then her semblance.

“Um, Raven?” She asked hesitantly, almost glowing in the darkness when compared to her black-clad teammate. Raven had switched out the black trousers she wore on initiation for the school skirt and leggings. It was a strange look, but Raven pulled it off. Raven acted like she could do anything. How could Summer measure up to that when all she wanted to do was hide?

“What?” Raven glanced at her, scarlet eyes narrowed irritably.

“Do you think Qrow and Taiyang will be alright?”

“I think that if they manage to pull their heads out of their asses and talk, they’ll still hate each other. Might spare us having to listen to them though.” Raven smirked at Summer. “So shall we go find our wayward idiots or should we leave them to it?”

“Um… I don’t know. Maybe it would be best to let them sort it out?”

Raven shrugged as she sauntered towards the dorms. “It’ll be much harder for them to kill each other without their weapons. They might take a few chunks out of the other, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. So why worry?”

Summer tucked her hair behind her ear as she hesitated, glancing at the fountain Taiyang loved to sit by and back at Raven’s disappearing figure. She didn’t want to be alone. The school didn’t feel right this evening.

She hurried after Raven, her cloak fluttering over the grass and turning gold in the sunset. She walked up the steps before she paused, hearing the voice of the Librarian’s aide nearby. She glanced at Raven. “Do you hear it too?”

“Goodwitch, it sounds like. I wonder what it could be.”

“Should we find out?”

“Obviously. You never learn anything if you don’t find out yourself.” The two women followed the sound of the voice. There was Goodwitch’s, yes, but there was another, male voice, high and cracking. She knew that voice. She knew that was a voice filled with pain.

* * *

 

_A mop of familiar blue hair rounded the corner, Barbleue of team BRON jeering and showing off something in his hand to his other teammates._

_Taiyang leaned forward slightly, glad to see that Oobleck wasn’t with his jerkwad teammates even as cold travelled down his spine._

_Qrow’s grip tightened on Taiyang’s shirt. “Do you want to get seen? Stay here, you- oh. Oh holy shit.”_

* * *

 

Summer turned the corner to see Goodwitch’s bright blonde ringlets. The third year turned, her weapon pointing at them as she glared viciously at them. Her glare softened. “Oh. Sorry. I thought you were Barbleue and his thugs.”

Raven cackled. “Don’t insult me. I’m far better-looking.”

Summer looked beyond Raven, spotting a green-haired figure curled up on the ground beyond Goodwitch. “Wh- what’s going on?” She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this at all.

Goodwitch crouched, placing her hand on the green-haired boy’s shoulder as he let out a broken sob, his glasses shattered on the ground beside him and flecked with scarlet. Goodwitch rubbed his back, sitting next to him.

“It’s alright. I’ll tell Ozpin immediately. They’ll get kicked out of Beacon, you mark my words.” She pulled him into a tighter hug, her eyes sparking furiously. “They’re going to pay for this, Bart. I promise.”

Summer stepped forward as the dirt squished under her foot, inwardly wincing at the thought of trailing her cloak through the mud. She cringed as the green-haired boy looked up at her with the same injured eyes as a fox in a trap, swimming with hurt. She recognised him. Bartholomew Oobleck.

“You’re Taiyang’s friend.” Raven recognised him too. “The know-it-all from history class.”

“Raven?” Summer stared at the ground under her feet as her eyes widened.

Raven glanced at her. “What?”

“It’s- it’s-” She pointed at the puddle they were standing in, dying the dirt red.

Raven darted back, nose curling in disgust. “Blood.”

Oobleck whimpered as he curled into Glynda’s side and soaked her shirt with tears, his frame shaking as he let out a low keen. Summer’s hands covered her mouth as she saw the cause of his pain, Raven cursing beside her.

* * *

 

_Barbleue raised his hand with a laugh, showing off a once-beautiful cheetah tail, the golden-tan fur speckled with black spots and ruby droplets, bone and muscle poking out the end where it was hacked off from the owner._

_Taiyang’s world turned red with hate._


	4. It Could Have Been Great

Taiyang woke up to the beeping of a heart monitor, his head pounding like he’d tried to cross the desert without water or sleep. He moved to sit up, his muscles screaming at him in pain, and felt cold hands on his chest, pushing him back down.

His vision cleared as he looked up into large silvery eyes, Summer’s face lined with worry as she kept him from sitting up. He blinked at her, trying to remember what happened. “What’s going on?” He rasped, his voice cracking.

“You attacked students, Tai,” she whispered, the hood of her cloak pulled back.

“Me?” He frowned, hands starting to shake as he looked around the room, the overbearing white of the infirmary bringing back too many memories. “No, I- I couldn’t have. I wouldn’t have.”

“What does he remember?” Raven walked in, her red eyes staring at Taiyang with an expression he couldn’t read. She raised a brow imperiously. “Why don’t we start with that?”

“I-” He brought up a hand to massage his temple and stared at the bandages wrapped all around his hands and down his arms. He hoped they didn’t ask about the scar on his arm. It throbbed with phantom pain.

Summer placed her hand on his forehead, her pale skin a cool counterpoint to his natural body heat. It felt nice. He had to know what happened. Think, Tai, think. “There was the session, and Qrow and I fought, but then we went outside and I saw someone… Barbleue, I think. And then-”

“Everything went white?” Qrow leant against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he stared through Taiyang.

“No.” He tried to sit up before Summer pushed him back down again. “It went red.” That was worse. He had to ask. Even though he didn’t want to know. The colours were paling out as white noise filled his ears.

“Are they dead?”

“Nah, you gave them hell, Xiao Long.” That sounded almost like a compliment. Qrow’s stare was intense.

 “Mr Xiao Long.” They all turned to stare at Headmaster Ozpin with the universal look of guilt all teenagers wore when an adult entered a room unannounced.

Ozpin was unfazed, his coffee mug gone for once as he placed his cane on the floor. “It’s good to see you are awake. Would the rest of you mind if Mr Xiao Long and I had a chat? I promise I won’t keep you from your teammate for too long.”

Summer bit her lip. “I- okay. Come on, guys, we should give them some space.”

Raven sauntered past Ozpin, carrying herself with the sort of confidence that Taiyang wished he could have. Qrow paused and looked back at him with that enigmatic stare before he followed his sister out.

Taiyang chose to stare at his shaking, bandaged hands and not at the Headmaster. Ozpin took the chair Summer had vacated, resting both his hands on top of his cane.

Taiyang felt his heart rate picking up from fear, the beeps from the monitor speeding up. He was going to get kicked out of Beacon. Thrown in jail. He knew that Ozpin knew about his record. He was going to be spending the rest of his life behind bars, in whatever prison they put people who had discovered their semblances in.

“Mr Xiao Long, I am not here to punish you. Try to remember that you are not in danger here.”

Taiyang’s hands shook as he tried to focus, making himself sit up despite the way his head rang like a bell and every muscle in his body screeched bloody murder. “Then why are you here?”

“Despite whatever your intentions were, you still attacked three of your fellow students outside of the sparring arena and severely injured them. I’ve already heard what Mr Yertle was able to say about it, as he was the only one still capable of proper speech, and now I would like to hear your side.” Ozpin smiled patiently at him.

Taiyang pressed his bandaged hands to his face, knowing why they were bandaged. “I can’t remember. I don’t know.”

“I think you do.”

Taiyang sighed. “I remember Qrow, and seeing Barbleue, and he was holding-” He remembered the cheetah tail. “Bartholomew Oobleck. Those…” the words he wanted to use probably shouldn’t have been used in front of Headmaster Ozpin. “Those monsters docked him.” He’d heard about it before, how some faunus did it to themselves to fit in, or humans did it to them as some twisted form of punishment.

Ozpin nodded. “Your partner, Mr Branwen, managed to recover Mr Oobleck’s tail.” He did? Taiyang looked up at that. He wouldn’t have expected Qrow to go to the trouble.

 “We don’t currently know if we can reattach it.” Ozpin’s voice seemed almost sad. “We’ll have to wait for his permission, once he wakes up.”

“He’s okay?”

“He’s currently comatose from blood loss and trauma. Understandable, if worrying. Miss Goodwitch and your other teammates, Miss Rose and Miss Branwen, escorted him here. I think that if you hadn’t already placed Mr Barbleue and the rest of his team into intensive care, she’d have done it herself.”

“Headmaster Ozpin, I’m sorry that I lost control, but…”

“You don’t regret fighting them.” Ozpin’s face was unreadable.

Taiyang shifted slightly, staring down at his bandaged hands. “Are you going to kick me out now?” What a stupid question. He’d be lucky if he didn’t get sent to an Atlesian cell.

“No, Mr Xiao Ling. I am not going to expel you. I will be giving you detention, however. We do not like violence between students. Especially not to these extremes.”

He didn’t care about detention. He was allowed to stay. He could still keep trying. “Thank you, Mr Ozpin. I won’t do it again.”

“I would hope not. Anger can be an effective force in battle, if controlled, but negativity will make you an even greater target for the Grimm. Particularly with your… extenuating circumstances.”

“So you do know.”

“I was in Mistral at the time that the incident with the Argyris family hit the news, on a search-and-destroy assignment. That was seven years ago?”

“Eight.”

“Of course. I am sorry for what happened.” Taiyang had heard that a lot. Everyone was either sorry or thought that he was a monster for it. With Ozpin he actually believed that the man wasn’t trying to pity him.

“Don’t be. It happened.” He hated the nightmares. “What about Barbleue? Is he getting detention too?”

“No.” Ozpin could have frozen burn dust with that tone. “I, personally, will not be allowing them to remain at my school if they are willing to mutilate their own teammate. I will also be mentioning this to the headmasters of the other schools to dissuade them from accepting Mr Barbleue and his teammates into their own academies, should they apply.”

“So why am I not in the same boat?”

“Do you want to be kicked out?”

“No, sir!”

“You are remaining here at Beacon because you were not attacking out of malice. Your semblance is a dangerous one, from what I heard, but I also understand that it takes a lot for you to fall to that extreme. I just want to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. You will need to learn to control your semblance.”

“I can control it! Just not when it gets that bad. Then I black out.”

Ozpin hummed, rising to his feet. “Well. I hope that you use your time here at Beacon to attempt to improve your control. Now, I should go and allow your teammates to return to your side. I’m sure they have questions, and I’m sure that you don’t want to answer them. Get well soon, Mr Xiao Long.”

“Thanks, Headmaster Ozpin.” What the fuck just happened. Taiyang watched him go before three dark-haired teenagers looked around the doorway, staring at him with curiosity and caution. He didn’t like the caution. He didn’t want to be dangerous.

He forced a smile. “Hey guys. You coming in or are you just going to keep staring?”

Summer crossed the room at top speed, her tiny hands desperately clasping his bandages. It was like she was making sure that he was still there.

“Where the fire, Summer?” He didn’t like that Raven was the only one to laugh.

“Funny you should say that, Tai Tai. Considering that those bandages are for the burns stretching up to your elbows.” Raven smirked at him, gesturing at his hands as she fell into the free chair like it was her throne.

Taiyang raised the hand Summer wasn’t holding. “Really? I can’t feel anything.”

“They must have you on some amazing fucking drugs then. Or you burnt away your pain nerves, either is possible.” Qrow leant against the wall, checking his nails like he was bored. Taiyang was too worn out to care.

“I hope it’s the drugs then.” He should have known. Just like the scar on his bicep. His healing factor only worked so well. It must have been a hell of a blaze though, to leave burns. He hoped it didn’t scar.

Summer bit her lip. “Tai. What happened?”

He couldn’t look at her. “I got angry.”

“You’re a master of stating the obvious.” Raven shared a glance with Qrow. “Qrow saw it all. Summer and I only saw about the second half. I must say, I liked the show.”

“What did I do?”

“You pounded their faces in and pretty much guaranteed they’d never be docking tails again.” Qrow wasn’t looking at him. What was Qrow leaving out? Was he that bad?

“Apparently they fought back,” Raven chuckled. “Not that it helped. We arrived in time to see Barbleue unload a canister’s worth of fire dust into your face. You blocked it with your hands.”

That was where the burns on his arms were from. That made sense. “Ouch.”

“Obviously.” Raven rolled her eyes. “Well then, since you’re all conscious now, Rose can tell you the big news.”

“We’re leaving now? Good. I gotta think about what I’m bringing with me.” Qrow shuffled out the door.

Raven followed her brother out. “You better not pack that red cape. It’s ugly as sin.”

“You’re just jealous because it’s mine.” The bickering of the Branwen twins faded down the hallway as Taiyang smiled at Summer.

“So the birdbrains are fine, then?” Summer wasn’t smiling. He reached out his free hand before remembering that she had the same view of personal space as he did. No touching.

“Why are you trying to tell jokes?” She looked up at him, lip wobbling. The look on her face made him feel like Remnant’s biggest jackass. He kept up his smile to try make her feel better.

“Because I don’t know any hospital jokes and so I have to fall back on birdbrain for the Branwens?”

Summer shook her head, her grip tightening on his hand. Yeah, he felt that. He could ignore it though. He had worse. “That’s not what I meant. You were hurt, Tai. Don’t you care about that?”

“Well, I guess it’ll twinge a bit if the painkillers wear off before my aura kicks back in and starts fixing things, but I’ll be fine. Sometimes after a burn-out like that, my aura just takes a few days to recharge. I bet it’ll barely scar.” She didn’t look like she was listening.

He squeezed her hand back. “It’s okay, Summer.”

“No it’s not!” Thick tears started welling in Summer’s silvery eyes and dripping down her pale cheeks. “You’ve been unconscious for four days, Tai! I thought you were dying! You and Qrow fought and then you were in a hospital bed after you attacked three other students. I-” she paused to rub her hand across her eyes. “I was scared you wouldn’t wake up.”

Taiyang put his bandaged hand on hers, his blue eyes soft. He didn’t want to see her worry about him. “I don’t die easy, Summer. Don’t worry about me. It’s what my semblance does. Sometimes I just go overboard and wipe out.”

He tapped his chest. “Ticker’s still going, so there’s nothing to worry about. You can see it on the screen there.” He nodded at the monitor. “See? No need to cry, Summer. I’m tear.”

She burst out into watery giggles as she sniffled, leaning forward until her forehead rested against his chest. He gently patted her hair. “I’m not going to leave you, Summertime. I promise.”

“Can you keep that promise?” Summer used part of her cloak to wipe her eyes.

“I can do my best. Right?”

“R- right.” She tried to smile, failing miserably. “I’m sorry, Tai.”

“Don’t apologise. This is on me. Not you. Okay? Chin up, Summertime. Things will get better.” He had to be optimistic. He had to do it for her. It didn’t matter what he personally thought. If Summer needed his support, she had it forever. If she needed something to brighten her day, he wasn’t the best thing for it, but he could try.

“Okay.” She hesitantly reached out and hugged him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So what do you have to tell me?”

Summer sat back, fidgeting with her hands. “The counsellor thinks that we need more trust within the team.”

“Honestly, I still don’t know what she was trying to accomplish, but obviously.”

“It doesn’t matter what happened then. What does matter is that she decided that before our first year mission next semester, we need to improve our skills and our teamwork.”

“So how do we do that?” He yawned. Wow. He must have been more tired than he thought if talking wore him out.

Summer but her lip. “Tester missions. Nothing extreme enough to need a whole team though. Raven and I are going to Little Odinium, just a little north of Vale. You and Qrow are going somewhere with a Grimm problem.”

Taiyang blinked at her. “Me and Qrow? We don’t get on well. Or did she miss the argument we had?”

“I think that’s why she’s sent you. Also Ozpin provided the missions. I’m not sure why.”

“Ozpin is weird. Just saying.”

“I think so too, but he’s not unkind. I think.”

“When are these missions?”

Summer tucked her hair behind her ear. “Raven and I leave tomorrow evening. I think you and Qrow leave whenever the head nurse says you’re allowed leave. I’ll miss you.”

“Yeah. Call me on the scroll. I’ll keep you posted.” This was gonna suck.

* * *

 

Qrow walked through the hospital, glancing into the occasional door out of curiosity. Mostly stupid kids his age who had managed to break their aura in stupid ways. He looked at one boy trying to build his aura back up with one of the generator machines and then start to freak out when the machine began to smoke ominously.

Qrow should definitely never go to a real hospital, obviously. Bad idea all around.

He’d located the three most important rooms that currently mattered in this hospital right about the same time that he had been dragged kicking and cursing into it. Taiyang had been a bit less… articulate. He’d thrown Teacher’s Assistant Port through about three walls though. That was pretty hilarious.

Qrow looked into the first room he had been searching for, smirking at the sight of the jerkwad Barbleue and his two thuggish cronies covered head to toe in bandages and casts, hooked up to about fifty zillion machines of some sort. Now, those machines Qrow wouldn’t mind wreaking havoc on with his luck. Barbleue deserved it for the chief crimes of hitting on Qrow’s sister, fucking mutilating another person for shits and gigs, and that terrible blue hair. Seriously. It had to be fake. It had to be. No one would willingly have hair like that.

Qrow scoffed derisively and walked off, hands in his pockets as he remembered how he’d caused a few of those injuries himself. Mostly a few bruises and some cuts. Everyone here at Beacon was fucking useless if they were separated from their weapon, so that had been his priority.

He pushed open the door to Taiyang’s room, spilling white light into the darkness. Taiyang’s snoring was soft and gentle, just like he pretended to be himself. Qrow was starting to understand now. Taiyang was a weakling and a wimp because he was a monster otherwise.

Qrow leaned against the doorframe, just watching his teammate sleep. They’d be going on a mission soon too. Where it would just be him and Qrow. In one place. Fighting Grimm.

At least Ozpin seemed to have decided to quiz Taiyang only on what happened. He’d tried during a scythe training session, but Qrow hadn’t cracked. He could keep secrets. All he’d said was that Taiyang wasn’t being himself. He hoped that was the case. He’d seen worse, but it was one hell of a contrast to the usual dipshit Xiao Long was.

He crept into the room, knowing he wasn’t really welcome, and took the seat that Summer had vacated.

“Do you know what you did?” He doubted Taiyang could hear him. The guy could sleep through a thunderstorm.

“I’ve never seen a semblance do that. Didn’t know they could do that. You changed. They shot you and stabbed you, and when they did, you caught fire. You could break their aura in a punch or two. You said that when you got hurt, you healed. That it made you angry. I should have twigged that it would make you strong as well.”

He crossed his arms. “You’re a hard bastard to kill, Tai. I get that. I get the fire and the anger, even the strength, unfair as it is. What I don’t get is where your head went. When we sparred, you lost. Since I’m better then you. But your moves had… had thought to them there. Where the hell was that with Barbleue?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “It’s like you turned into an animal. Not a faunus, an actual animal. Sharp teeth and golden eyes and claws. Real claws. Not like those ones you put in your weapons. At least, I think they were claws. I couldn’t really see. I was too busy trying to get your friend’s tail off Barbleue. But normal punches don’t leave wounds like that.”

There were so many questions and not enough answers. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What the hell are you, Tai? When you’re out of here, I’m going to want some answers. And you better fucking talk.”

He stood up to leave, Taiyang still snoring and drooling into his pillow. What a fucking mess. He shoved his hands in his pockets, closing the door behind him as he stalked off. “The Tribe would have liked your power. They’d have liked it a damn sight better than mine.”

* * *

 

Summer stood with Raven, carrying both of their backpacks as Headmaster Ozpin studied them. He sipped from his mug. “Normally, we would never allow students to split up on missions according to their partnerships, but it was brought to my attention that your team does have the highest rated combat skills from your entrance exams and a _severe_ lack of unity.”

He looked over his spectacles at them. “I think in the case of extraneous circumstances like these, we can afford to bend the rules a little. Miss Rose, Miss Branwen, your mission will be taking you to Little Odninium, where you will be co-ordinating with the head of the police. It’s well within Vale’s borders and has one of the more noteworthy Grimm defences, which has caused it to be somewhat neglected by Huntsmen.”

“So what will we be doing there?” Raven put her hands on her hips.

“The Chief of Police recently contacted me about a recent series of attacks and requested aid. The council deemed the situation as something that the local law enforcement could handle, but since aid was requested, it is your civic duty to provide it. You will not be required to bring anything other than your weapons and personal attachments, as the Chief has made arrangements for lodging and transport.”

Summer nodded, itching to pull her hood up under the knowing gaze of Headmaster Ozpin but not wanting to be rude. “Th- thank you, Headmaster. But what about our classes?”

Ozpin chuckled. “You didn’t think you’d be getting out of them so easily, did you? Port is one of our teaching assistants. He’ll be recording all your lectures for you and preparing supplementary homework you can complete when you get back. Your end of semester exams are still a while away, so you will not be missing any of your assessment.”

“Okay. Um… anything else we need to know?”

Ozpin’s eyes lost their twinkle. “This is something you should treat as a real mission. People’s lives are in danger, and while you will be co-operating with the chief of police, you may well be required to act on your own initiative. You are going not as students, but as Huntresses. I expect you to act like it.”

“Yes, Headmaster Ozpin.” Summer fidgeted with her hands as Raven rolled hr eyes dismissively.

“Good. Your ship will be leaving in ten minutes.” He sipped his coffee. “Good luck.”

Raven stalked off, Summer having to jog to keep up with the taller girl’s strides. “Do you have everything, Raven?”

“Of course I do.” Raven snapped at her.

“Even dust? Because I was really thinking about putting in that rifle upgrade on my own weapon and I know that your blades aside from the red one use dust although that can use fire dust, I’d guess, so do you have enough dust?”

“I said I’m fine!” Raven whirled on her, her hand meeting Summer’s shoulder and pushing her back. “Stop blathering about weapons and focus!”

“Eep!” Summer stumbled back as she flickered out of visibility. “I’m sorry!” She pulled her hood up, hiding behind the white fabric and her hair. She didn’t really want to reappear right now. She wasn’t ready for this. What was Ozpin thinking?

Raven’s scowl darkened as she looked around. “You better be following me, Rosie.”

“I am,” she scurried after Raven into the airship, Meteora Bloom kept in the sheath on her thigh. She waited for Raven to sit down before she took her seat. She’d been sat on far too many times since she discovered her semblance to do anything else. Sometimes it wasn’t worth being invisible.

Although right now it was perfect! Anything to avoid talking to Raven. Even though that was the point.

The pilot looked back. “Uh… is everyone aboard?”

Summer blushed and reappeared, raising her hand. “Here! Sorry.”

“Okay, great. Well, Odinium’s a three hour trip, so kick back and relax, ladies. If this weather keeps up, we’ll make good time. Might even cut it down by half an hour.”

Raven scoffed and kicked her feet up in the bench, crossing her ankles as she placed her weapon on the floor beside her. “Well, that’s just perfect.”

Summer bit her lip and curled up on the opposite side of the airship, staring out the window so she didn’t have to talk. The sunset reflected in her eyes, turning silver to gold. She could see Patch from up here. A pang of longing hit her. She hoped her family was okay. She hoped they missed her as much as she missed them.

She wished she could have made them proud.

* * *

 

Taiyang sat up, the doctor pottering about as she took his blood pressure. He could see her glancing at the scarred cut on his bicep, usually hidden under a sash if his sleeve wasn’t long enough to cover it. If Beacon was able to get his records from Mistral, he figured his medical history was in there somewhere.

Hopefully that meant no questions.

“So, am I clear to go?” He asked hopefully, desperate to get out of the sterile white of the room. He really hated hospitals. It was really good that his semblance was a healing factor then. Should he name it? Like his weapon? Or was that too weird? Probably too weird. Who named their semblance?

The doctor glanced at his chart and back at him. “Yes, your aura has completely replenished and the burns on your hands are all healed. Luckily you were brought to us soon enough that we were able to supplement your aura enough to prevent scarring. I recommend you up your protein intake if you’re going to continue doing damage to yourself this way. It’ll mean that your semblance has more to heal you with.”

Taiyang nodded, already reaching for the plain grey shirt provided, the fabric just as soft as the hospital sweatpants. Apparently his clothes had been ruined in the fight. That was fine. He needed a new outfit anyway. The pants were a couple of inches too short. He could pick some up, he’d been saving up his lien.

“Thanks, doc!” He beamed at her, grabbing his weapons off the table and pulling the gloves on. He couldn’t wait to do something to burn off his energy. Maybe he should see if the gym was vacant, he could use a few rounds with a punching bag.

Probably his favourite thing about his weapons was that even when they were sheathed they were still good exercise gear. Good for protecting his knuckles when he hit things.

He stopped at the reception, twiddling his fingers as he waited for the receptionist to be free. “Um… is Bartholomew Oobleck awake yet?”

The receptionist blinked and typed the name into her scroll. “He’s currently undergoing surgery. I suggest you come back tomorrow if you want to see him. He should be awake by then.”

“Thank you,” Taiyang smiled at her. “Uh… What about Barbleue and the rest of Team BRON?”

“They’re still in intensive care. No visitors allowed except close family.”

That was fair. “Thank you again.”

“Have a nice day!” She chirped.

“You too,” he walked out of the hospital, squinting slightly at the sunlight. It felt like it had been ages since he’d been outside. Vale wasn’t as warm as Vacuo, nowhere near it, but he could tell that the summer would have a bit of heat to it. That would be good.

He walked back to the dorm rooms, noticing everyone staring at him. He could hear the whispers. He tuned them out. He had enough negativity in his life, thanks. He didn’t need more. Breathe deep. Block it out. Let others do what they will. He was in control. Yes he was.

He missed Summer already. He still wasn’t sure about Raven but he hoped she was okay too. He entered the dorm, checking his pocket for his scroll. Summer had been sending him updates and pictures, mostly that everything was going fine. He hoped it was true.

He unlocked his dorm room and stepped inside, eyes landing on Qrow. They stared at each other as Taiyang shuffled nervously. “I- I, um, I have a full bill of health?”

“Well isn’t that great?” Qrow ran his whetstone over the edge of his blade.

“Yeah, so we can go on that mission now, the one that Headmaster Ozpin wants us to do. So… yeah.” He retreated to his bed, sitting down as he twiddled his fingers together. “Are- are you still mad at me?”

Qrow looked back down at his blade, his face the same careful, expressionless calm that Raven wore when she wanted to be enigmatic. “Yes.”

“Oh.” What was he meant to say to that? “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yes. I know it’s not much-”

“It’s five letters of fucking nothing.”

Taiyang wished he had longer hair, or maybe a cloak like Summer’s. He wanted to hide. “I know…”

“So.” Qrow lifted his blade and tested the edge with his fingertip.

“So.” He fiddled with his gloves. “Can you tell me what happened? All of it?”

“You don’t know?” Qrow lip curled. Taiyang didn’t know if it was a smirk or a snarl. He didn’t know which was worse.

“No. Like I said, when my semblance- when I get like that, I don’t remember anything. I’ve been trying. But it’s just- it’s blank.”

Qrow leaned forward slightly, placing his blade to the side and resting his elbows on his knees. “What’s the last thing you remember?” He cocked his head to the side with piercing eyes.

“Everyone keeps asking me that. It’s always the same. I saw Barbleue and my head hurt, and my lungs were burning, and it went red. And I’m not going to remember anything else, so I’d prefer it if everyone stopped asking.”

“How do you know you won’t remember?”

“Because I haven’t.” He didn’t look at Qrow.

The lights seemed to dawn. “This happened before.”

“I-” Don’t make him talk about it. Please. “Once. I was nine.” Qrow didn’t need to know. No one needed to know. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Why? Who’d you attack then?”

Taiyang felt the familiar rage start to uncoil in his chest. “Listen, I don’t want to think about it. It was a long time ago.”

“So? Tell me what happened.”

“Just drop it.” Taiyang met his gaze pleadingly. “Please. I’m tired. Just tell me when we leave and I’ll sleep until then.”

Qrow sneered and leaned back against his bedstead. “Fine. Freak.” Taiyang flinched. He knew Qrow noticed. “We leave tomorrow morning. That Teacher’s Ass Port says you should catch up on the shit you missed and he’s going to keep our homework for everything we’re gonna miss.”

“But you don’t do homework.”

“Nope. You do though. Nerd.”

He didn’t want a fight. He had enough of fighting. He wanted to talk to his mom. Unfortunately, even if she did have a scroll he could call, Vacuo had the shoddiest reception in Remnant. Even Menagerie was better, he’d heard.

Taiyang reached for his books, curling up in the corner of his bed furthest from Qrow as he pulled his knees to his chest. He balanced his textbook on his legs. “Um… Qrow?”

“What?”

“I really am sorry. For everything.”

The room was silent, seconds stretching into minutes as the clock in the corner ticked. Taiyang continued to study and block out the world until he was too tired to keep his eyes open, crawling in under the covers of his bed and wishing he’d never come to Beacon.

He was fast asleep, deaf to the world and trapped in dreams when the reply came, bitter and sad.

“Me too.”

* * *

 

Raven took the three hours available to catch her rest, falling asleep instantly. It was a skill honed by life on the run. She opened her eyes the moment she heard something move in her bubble of personal space. Her hand fell to the hilt of her weapon as she automatically assessed the threat.

Summer was next to her, dainty hands pressed to the window and her hood pulled back. A rare sight. Raven glanced out the window to see what had the cloaked girl so enraptured. Her own eyes widened slightly.

Little Odinium was not as little as the name implied.

A wall encircled the city, taller and sturdier then the one that the Branwen Tribe barricaded themselves behind. Cannons and pikes were visible on near every inch, even in a city this far inside the Vale borders. She could see the buildings, gothic and cramped, spiralling inwards towards the city’s heart. The bridge connecting the two halves of the city stretched over a murky river, the water dark and as foggy as the streets.

She’d never seen fog like that. It looked thicker and murkier then any mist she’d seen in Mistral, creeping through the maze of alleyways that ran through the city like a labyrinth. She could hear the toll from the bell tower that marked the city’s heart. Well. There was a point of reference at least.

She scoffed. “I’ve seen better.” She picked up her weapon, attaching it to her hip and fixing up her hair so it was tied back. No point in dawdling when there was work to be done.

She glanced at Summer, still staring out the window. “Well? What about you?”

“Me?” Summer faded around the edges. Pathetic. “Oh, yes, sorry, I’m ready to go.”

“Good.” She waited for the airship door to open and jumped out, landing in a crouch before she stood. Summer landed next to her. At least she could land on her feet. Better then Taiyang likely could. He seemed as graceful as an Ursa Major going downhill in snow.

Raven’s hand rested on the hilt of her blade as a woman in a bright blue uniform and cap walked up to them. “Welcome to Little Odinium. I’m Genevieve Lestrade, chief of police here. It was good of Ozpin to lend us a hand.”

Raven blinked at her and elbowed Summer hard. She was the Team Leader, after all. If she wanted the position so badly, Raven would gladly let her do everything it entailed. Including talking to strangers.

“Eep!” Summer disappeared for only a moment, blinking back into view with her hood pulled up. “Sorry. I’m Summer Rose, leader of Team STRQ, and this is my partner, Raven Branwen. Headmaster Ozpin said you were having trouble?”

“We were. Now, I’ve set you up in the Mitre Square Inn. It’s a small hotel on the outskirts of the east end of town, just north of the river. Tell Ms Bunting behind the counter Genny sent you. She’s got a parcel from one of my boys that’s got everything we know about the attacks and everything we’ve theorised.”

The policewoman clenched her fists. “My boys and I will help out where we can, but we’ve got our hands full dealing with a scared town and I’ve lost three men already. I’m afraid that whoever this attacker is, he’s beyond our skill level.” The woman gritted her teeth, most likely angry she was too weak to sort out the problem herself.

Raven smirked. “Don’t you worry, officer Genny,” she brushed her bangs to the side slightly. “My partner and I will have no problems with your attacker.”

“That’s why you were sent. Just do your jobs and I’ll do mine.” She nodded at one of the detectives with her. “This is Constable Reid. He’ll be taking you to your lodgings and will be acting as your main envoy with us while you’re here. If you have any questions, he’s the man to ask. Constable, if you will.” She walked to a motorcycle and drove off into the soupy fog.

Summer and Raven turned to the scruffy constable, his salt-and-pepper hair badly hidden under his watch cap. ‘Well ‘en. If you’ll follow me, I’ll drive you to the east end.” He got the door for them.

Raven barged past Summer and sat in first, wondering if this was how thieves that worked in cities were moved when they were arrested. She didn’t like that thought. “So, Reid. Tell us about the attacks.”

“Well.” He started the engine. “You see, all o’ the killin’s have been centred in the east end. Five women. One officer. Never seen anythin’ like it.”

Raven watched the street lamps light up the fog as they drove, pretending not to listen. Summer leaned forward, silvery eyes wide. “So, um, do you know anywhere good we should start hunting?”

“Well now, I’d say your best bet would be to read the case files the boss sent. She said that you two are exempt from the city -wide curfew. Now, all o’ the attacks have been near or off the High Road. It’s been goin’ through maintenance for the past few months, so no vehicles have been allowed on it. That’s why our reaction time’s been so slow.”

Raven smirked to herself. That sounded like an excuse. Tsk Tsk. How embarrassing that they had to call in two teenage girls to catch their killer.

“Okay. Thank you, Constable.”

“Welcome. Here’s your hotel. A word of advice, unless you’re lookin’ for trouble, stay out o’ the alleys at night. The fog’s a right bollocks of a thing.”

Raven checked her nails as she stepped out, letting Summer do all the pleasantries before he drove off. She left her leader to do the same with the lady behind the counter of their hotel, absently noting every way in and out of the lobby.

Summer was taking forever. Honestly, why was she the leader? Raven wouldn’t be bothering with all this time-wasting small talk. They were on a mission. She kept shooting glares at Summer that she knew their ‘fearless leader’ noticed, the shorter girl progressively shrinking in on herself.

Eventually Summer managed to swindle their room key from the old woman. Raven instantly scanned the room when they entered, opening the window to get rid of the smell of stale air. It was the worst smell in the world. She refused to let them close the window in the dorm room at Beacon. It made the air smell foul. She was used to fresh air.

She knew Qrow was also more comfortable with the fresh night air. He deserved better than his idiotic bruiser of a partner. What idiot chose a fighting style that was half ‘charging at people’?

Summer opened the box on one of the single beds, pulling out files and photos and maps. The chief wasn’t lying. They really did have everything. Should make for some interesting bedtime reading.

Raven picked up one file, not too keen on looking at the pictures at the moment. “Well. This should be fascinating.”

“Do you think we should keep our door locked?”

“Of course we’re keeping the door locked, you idiot.” Raven flicked the bolt shut and did the deadbolt for good measure. Deadbolts were a little harder to get through then a simple lock. “Do you have a plan, fearless leader?”

Summer ducked her head. “I- uh, I was thinking we do the readings? And then maybe go talk to people during the day? And maybe tomorrow night or the night after we patrol the area for this attacker?”

“Killer. Don’t sugar-coat it.” She glanced at the file. “Oh, how cute. They named him.”

“They did?” Summer started spreading out the photos and cringing at each one.

“Yes. Apparently they’re calling him the Ripper.” Raven couldn’t help a scoff. “What a stupid name.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just want to say thank you for all your support. It means a lot to me.   
> Just as a warning, I start uni within the week, so updates may be a little more spaced out.


	5. You Don't Know Jack

The bell tolled, heard throughout Little Odinium as the Ripper picked his prey. He watched her, the lamp in her hands turning her skin to gold and reflecting in her gentle eyes. She was like a little lamb, waiting for a butcher. He slipped out of the shadows, blades ready as he loomed behind her. She barely had time to scream before her throat was slashed open and he was drenched in her arterial spray.

It was almost a shame to cut her off. He loved the screaming. Like birdsong.

He skewered her face on the dagger in his right hand, refusing to let her body fall to the ground until he had what he needed. His blade met the pearly hollow between her collar bones, rivulets of scarlet bright against the creamy skin.

Her skin parted with ease as he dragged a line down her chest, following the line between her ribs with surgical precision. The strings that laced her corset gave no resistance before they were sawn through, her full chest spilling out into the foggy air. The body fell to the ground as he dug his fingers into her chest, hooking them under bone and lung.

Her ribs snapped apart with a wet crackle that was barely masked by the ringing of the bell tower. He’d never found any sound quite as beautiful, though he’d hunted the Kingdom for it. His treasure lay inside, still warm and slick with lifeblood.

A few flicks of his blade severed the veins and arteries that connected the heart to the surrounding tissue. He reached in to claim his prize, grasping the organ in hand. In the murky soup of the fog, the red staining his hands could be mistaken for gloves.

He placed his prize in the chest suitably designed for such a task, licking the blood off his blade as he observed the corpse at his feet. The little lamb had been slaughtered, but there was still more he wanted to do.

He raised his weapons, intent on mutilating the remains of her face, when he heard the scream. The high-pitched shriek that sent shivers of joy up his spine. He did so love the sound of screaming. The sound of footsteps echoed on cobblestones as a witness ran for her life. He couldn’t have that, now could he? It would be improper to let the poor dear suffer the sight of what she had seen.

He turned, tongue dragging over his lips as he followed her. His own footsteps were silent as a ghost’s, sanguine droplets dripped form his hands.

It seemed he would be collecting two hearts tonight.

* * *

“Bright Cap Bay! Here we are!” The pilot announced cheerfully as he landed the air ship.

“Holy fuck that took forever,” Qrow groaned. Taiyang had to agree. He never wanted to leave the ground ever again.

“And there was that weird thunderstorm that came out of nowhere when we were halfway here? That was crazy.” Taiyang tripped as he walked down the ramp off the airship, landing face first on tarmac of the Merlot Industries helipad. “… Ow.”

Qrow hopped over him, hands in his pockets and with his dark red cape falling down from his shoulders. “Yeah. Weird how that storm showed up.”

Taiyang spread out his arms and legs like a starfish, soaking up the last of the sunlight and the feeling of solid earth. “I _love_ ground.” He didn’t have to look up to know Qrow was rolling his eyes. “Aren’t you even a little nauseous?”

“No. Get up. People are coming, don’t be such a fucking wimp.” How was it Qrow had gotten meaner then he already was? That shouldn’t be possible.

Taiyang pushed himself up and ran his hand through his hair. Okay. He could talk to them. Yep. They were on a mission from Headmaster Ozpin. Easy. He looked around at the surrounding areas to get his bearings. There was the town, built onto the shore, the metal pier jutting out into the deep blue ocean. He could see that the buildings further away from the ocean were decrepit and crumpling, with sagging, patchwork rooftops and broken windows. It was a huge contrast to the immaculate design and brickwork of the tall building that a gaggle of scientists were traipsing out of.

The leader of the procession was a wiry little man in a pristine lab coat, clutching a clipboard in hand. He was flanked by a mountain of a man that looked like he could reasonably snap an Ursa Minor in half with his bare hands. “Greetings! I am Dr Cyan, head of the Merlot Industries facility here, this is our head of security, Mr Giallo, and you must be the Huntsmen that took our requested mission.”

“Yes we are!” Taiyang grinned widely so he didn’t look nervous. Was he overdoing it? “I’m Taiyang Xiao Long and this is my partner, Qrow Branwen. We heard you have a problem with Grimm?”

“Yes, it’s something we’ve never seen before here. Come with me and I’ll show you, it’s just down to the docks.”

Taiyang glanced at Qrow and followed. “Uh… docks? I thought that there’d be Grimm in the streets or something.”

“No, nothing that bad. Not yet. Aside from the odd Nevermore and Beowulf pack, I mean.  Those are easily handled. We simply have one attacking the fishing vessels of this town.”

“Wait, just one?” Taiyang went slightly pale. One Grimm? Only one? And fishing vessels? As in, out at sea?

“Not your vessels?” Qrow raised a brow.

“No, Merlot Industries is strictly here on a knowledge-seeking basis.”

“And the fuck is that, exactly?” Qrow pushed his bangs out of his face. Taiyang really wished he wouldn’t swear right now.

“Are either of you interested in science?”

“No.”

“Yeah, I guess?” Taiyang shrugged.

Dr Cyan glanced at them and noted something down on his clipboard. Taiyang tried to see what it was, but he couldn’t quite make it out. “Well, young man, Merlot Industries is a company that specialises in biological research, such as genetics. While we are based mostly in Mountain Glenn, Bright Cap Bay is perfect for studying the genetic diversity and mutations possible in the local sea life if the area. We struck up a deal with the town to get forty percent of the catch, with reimbursement, of course.”

“Right.” Qrow looked bored out of his mind. Boo him, it was kinda interesting.

“Yes, precisely. Since it is a fishing town by trade, the recent attacks have the potential to inflict a catastrophic blow on both the economy and the research we do in our facility. I’m sure you can understand why we want this to be sorted out.”

“Yeah, definitely. So what sort of Grimm is it?”

“One that we haven’t seen before. No Sea Dragons here, I’m afraid.” They left the shadow of the facilities and entered the town. Shadows stretched across the road, cast from the light of the sunset. The paint peeled off the sides of the hunched homes, weeds growing through the pavement, and gangly youths no older then Taiyang languished about in the more ruined structures. He didn’t make eye contact, keeping his head down as they glared at him and Qrow, tossing bottles and lighters around. Dr Cyan’s lab coat was so clean it seemed to glow in comparison to everything else in Bright Cap.

Apparently they weren’t as welcome as Dr Cyan implied. He nudged Qrow and lowered his voice. “Does this place seem weird to you?” He tried not to crinkle his nose at the smell of fish that pervaded the air, wondering why the town was so quiet.

“Stop freaking out. We have shit to do,” Qrow hissed back.

“I’m not freaking out,” he hissed back. “Shut up.”

“Fucking make me.”

Taiyang was a second away from reaching out and smacking Qrow in the head. Little prick.

“Well, as you can see, it’s been bad.” Taiyang snapped back to attention, nodding at the grizzled old fisherman who was pointing at the remains of the boat. Great sections of wood had been ripped out of the hull and blood painted the deck of the vessel, dust leaking out of the remnants of the engine tanks. It looked like it had been bitten in half. Where was the rest of it?

“What the hell?” He muttered to himself, thinking back on History of Grimm to try and remember if there was something which target boats like this. He shot a wary glance at the innocent-looking water lapping on the sand.

“Lost twelve boats already. Just like this.” The fisherman twisted the hook on his right arm.

“So what sort of Grimm does this? It’s been seen, right?”

“Old Darcy Zadok’s the only one who’s survived an attack, aside from me!” The man laughed uproariously and Taiyang was certain he was senile. No offence, old fisherman guy. “This one’s a nasty bastard, it is. It’ll take a man right off a boat if it can.” Taiyang felt a shiver crawl up his spine.

“We’ve been calling it a Bone-tip,” Dr Cyan chimed in, utterly calm despite the wreckage beside him. How was he so calm? “It’s an entirely new species of Grimm, we believe. While it would be good to attempt to catch it for scientific purposes, we at the institute understand that the danger it poses must be eradicated before any further harm comes to the good people of this… _charming_ village.”

Taiyang heard the familiar sound of Qrow’s weapon unsheathing and matched it with his own, punching his fists together with a metallic clang.

“What the fuck are we waiting for, then?” Qrow rested the broadsword on his shoulder. “We’re Huntsmen. Let’s stop standing around.”

* * *

Raven perched on the rooftop, Summer beside her. The moonlight refracted of the brilliant ivory of Summer’s cloak, which proved once and for all that Summer was that much of an idiot. Her semblance let her turn invisible, and yet she was allowing herself to be the most obvious thing in the whole town. Raven could feel her brain dribbling out her ears from the monotony of the stake out, barely able to see the street below for the fog.

She had to break the silence. It was a necessity.

“You think I’m confidant.” It wasn’t a question.

“Um, y-yes?”

“Then why are you still the leader? I heard you and Ozpin talking. You said it yourself. He made a mistake.”

“I-”

Raven turned to look at her. “You know that I’m the better leader. Why pretend otherwise? It’s idiotic. You know nothing about being a leader.”

“Well, no, but-”

“It’s almost sad,” she smiled cruelly. “Oh well. You’ll come to your senses eventually.”

She almost laughed in Summer’s face when she watched the pale girl’s lip quiver. It shouldn’t be so easy to pink on her, but it really was. Ozpin was a foolish man. She wondered if he actually knew how skittish Sumer was. What was he playing at? The only thing he’d done right so far, aside from being gullible enough to enrol her and Qrow, was training her brother to use his scythe. Even she knew that Qrow’s inability to use the weapon would have only hurt him in the long run.

“So,” She rolled over onto her back and proper herself up on her elbows, bored of lying on her stomach. “What did you think of the murders that have already happened?” She kept her voice low. She wasn’t stupid.

“They were violent?” Summer whispered back.

“Gruesomely so,” she smirked at her, her red eyes reflecting the broken moon. “And he’s escalating, whoever this killer is.”

“Yes. I mean, the heart was removed, but at first he only slit her throat.”

“And the next one got her face slashed and part of her liver take out too. Of course, the only one whose heart he didn’t take was the one where the cop died next to her. I wonder why.”

“I think he interrupted the killer, and maybe he had to take the cop’s heart instead? He attacked that fourth girl that night.” Summer rested her head on her arms. “Do you think that was because he was angry? Why do you think he takes the hearts?”

“Maybe he’s hungry?” Raven smirked at the look of utter horror on Summer’s face.

“Ew! That’s awful! Why would you think that?”

“Can’t you take a joke?” Raven scoffed. “I doubt he’d eat them. It’s common for serial killers to take trophies. Perhaps the hearts are his.” It was still disgusting.

“How would he store them?” Summer asked faintly.

“I don’t think we want to know the answer to that.” The town bell rang as the clock hit the hour, the cavernous sound echoing through the streets. Raven heard a scream. “Did you hear that?”

“Come on!” Summer was a blur of white, leaping over the rooftops. Raven quickly caught up, barely keeping pace. She let her aura flow into her steps as she cleared the space between rooftops, leaping over the width of the street with ease.

She smelt copper in the air, skidding to a halt right before she made the next jump. It was barely noticeable under the stench of the river. She held out a hand to halt Summer, the girl in white pausing on a dime.

“What is it?”

“Smell that? That’s blood.” She could see someone lying on the street, their features obscured by the fog. They were the sort of still only a corpse could be. “The killer could still be nearby. Cover me, I’m going to investigate.” She’d said it to Qrow a million times, if the word ‘killer’ was replaced with ‘Grimm’.

It shouldn’t have been so easy to say it to Summer.

She heard the distinctive sound of Summer’s weapon unsheathing as she jumped into the fog, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. She kept her ears pricked for any hint of danger as she walked towards the body, curious to see the damage for herself. Perhaps there could even be a trail to track.

She’d seen gore. It was inevitable, to see what remained of Grimm attacks.

She’d seen death, obviously. She’d killed herself, and it hadn’t always been clean.

But this wasn’t Grimm and it wasn’t just messy. She spared a glance at the remains of the woman’s chest and noticed that yes, the heart was missing here too.

Summer didn’t need to see this. She wasn’t strong enough to handle the sight.

Raven noticed the blood trail disappearing into the fog and jumped back up to the rooftop. “Dead. The Ripper’s on the move.”

“We have to stop him. Now.” Summer’s eyes were harder than Raven expected. Maybe the girl had some steel in her after all. Unlikely, but Raven wasn’t one to simply dismiss a possibility. She was too clever for that.

“The trial goes west. So do we.” They ran, twin blurs of black and white racing above the fog. Raven’s eyes scanned for their killer, zeroing in on movement with uncanny accuracy.

It was a tableau that wouldn’t have been out of place as the front cover of a clichéd novel. The victim, a rose-haired woman splayed out on the cobblestones as she trembled with fear, and the killer, hunched over her with a blade in each hand as his tongue darted out to lick his lips, a dust-lined box on his belt as his silhouette was masked in fog, swollen in size by the tatter-edged coat that flapped around him like crow wings. A bad omen.

But this wasn’t some little horror story. Raven hit the trigger on her weapon’s sheath and her ōdachi rocketed forward, the hilt slamming into the man’s head to knock him off- balance. Raven used the instant he was taken by surprise to cross the space, grabbing her weapon and slashing at his hands.

Apparently Huntresses couldn’t kill on retrieve and arrest missions. Raven didn’t need to kill him to cripple him. He’d probably survive without his hands. She had a job to do, and Summer would stay out of her way.

Her blade hit his wrists, bit into the skin, and it was like she’d tried to cut through stone, the impact shuddering up her bones and jarring in her shoulders. The man looked at her with hollow eyes and slashed at her neck.

She dodged back, bringing her blade up defensively as she got a proper look at his weapons. Twin daggers, made of a dark red metal that may simply have been blood-stained rather than dust-infused, like her own.

While their blades locked, she got a good look at him. His normality was practically insulting. He was plain, plain and dull. Brown hair, brown eyes, even his skin was a vague middling brown. The only thing about him even slightly obvious was the hooked nose that protruded over the high collar of his coat and the glint in his eyes. He looked at her like fresh meat, waiting to be butchered and tossed aside.

She was nothing to him in his eyes, and it infuriated her. Her feet skidded backwards as she reacted to the break in her guard, throwing herself backwards as she prepared to kill him. Hang the rules.

She attacked him again, aiming low this time. Her blade parted his skin before it clanged into that same barrier, the force of her strike reverberating in her teeth. Raven hopped back to better analyse her opponent, landing on the other side of the cobblestone street. She assumed Summer had taken care of the would-be victim, since neither of them were there anymore.

The Ripper was already charging her as she settled into her stance. She waited until he was close enough that he would impale himself on her blade for her. She might not be able to cut his extremities off, but his own momentum should amplify her thrust, get it through whatever armour he had.

Her red blade met his side, where the strike would be non-lethal, and pierced his skin, going deeper than before. She allowed herself a grin of triumph before her blade shattered, leaving her holding just the hilt as red metal and embers trailed down to the ground.

Her eyes widened as she lost the most important part of her weapon.

His daggers hit the sides of her neck at the same time, hard enough that she felt it through her aura. She reacted at the pain, snapping her foot out into his stomach hard enough to kick him down the street.

She used the space to jump up, landing onto of a streetlight as she placed her hilt back against the sheath. She should get more blades, otherwise she could be at risk of running out. She could see him moving in the fog below her, obviously trying to find her or the woman he would have killed.

Where was Summer? She’d be a great distraction at the moment. Perhaps the Ripper had some sort of semblance that prevented her from doing damage with her blade. She leaned forward slightly, noticing he’d stopped. Had he located her? Or Summer? Raven’s hand tightened on the hilt of her weapon as she prepared to draw her next blade.

He lunged at her, clearing the jump with the same ease that she did. She was gone in an instant, back into the fog. Obviously he had his aura unlocked. Wonderful. Her boots clicked on the cobblestones as she prepared to draw her blade.

She gathered her energy for her next attack and lunged with a yell, stopping on the streetlight where he had been. “Coward,” she scoffed. Obviously he was a hit-and-run fighter, who was scared of Raven’s might.  She watched him land further up the street and saw a distortion in the fog slowly moving around him, creeping towards Raven. She could see the faintest outline of an invisible cloak.

So could the Ripper.

“Summer, move!” Raven wasn’t sure why she bothered. Why did it matter if Summer got attacked? Her aura could handle things.

Summer’s white cloak flickered back into view as she dodged the blades, silver eyes wide. Wasn’t she expecting to be caught out? Raven charged, flying at the Ripper as she drew her arms back for the strike.

Her blade bit into the skin of his shoulder and shattered again, leaving her holding just the hilt before he copied her earlier move, kicking her in the gut. She skidded to a halt, remaining in a crouch as she caught her breath.

Summer landed next to her, her weapon in hand. “Raven, what do you have left?”

“Not much. Why? I can’t stab him.” Her grip tightened on the empty hilt until her knuckles turned white.

“But you’re still piercing his skin?”

“Yes, why?”

“I think his semblance is his blood. I caught a look at his daggers. They’re coming from his wrists. If he can harden his blood into a dagger, he can make it armour.”

Raven grinded her teeth as she watched him, her and Summer darting out of the way of another lunge by the Ripper. “So you’re saying that I’ll only be able to cut skin deep? That’s useless. He’ll never go down.”

Summer bit her lip. “Well, even aura doesn’t fully protect from brute force.”

Raven raised a brow. “So you’re saying that we should switch to beating the shit out of him?”

“Yes. He’s using his aura for jumps, but not as a shield. Probably because he has his blood for that. But maybe we could still do some internal damage? I wish Tai was here. This seems like his sort of fight.”

She refused to admit that having the berserker might have an advantage over her in combat. Raven drew her blade, shifting onto her toes so she could spring forward and finish this Summer grabbed her shoulder right as Raven prepared to lunge. “Don’t. You have to make this count. You’re stronger then I am, so your best chance is to hit him hard in the back, which should take him down. At least so we can bring him in.”

“A kidney shot. How brutal of you.” She was almost impressed. “Why am I waiting?”

“Because I’ll give you an opening.” Summer glanced at her from under her hood.

Raven scoffed. “Not good enough.” She attacked, slamming her blade into the ground as she used it as a pivot point, swinging her body around to plant both feet hard in his abdomen.

He dodged out of the way, grabbing her leg and yanking her towards him, her grip on her sword causing it to shatter under the strain. She slammed her fist into his face, using the empty hilt as a bludgeoning tool.

He snapped his palm into her ribs, knocking all the wind out of her lungs as he batted her away like a fly. Raven wheezed as she was blown back into the fog, rolling and skidding on the cobblestones as her copper aura flared up protectively before petering out.

She reached for the hilt of her weapon when she saw him rushing her, ready to pull out her final blade and make him pay for landing a hit, ignoring the tremble in her fingers. She could hear a high shrieking in her ears, like the emergency sirens towns played when the Branwen Tribe attacked.

Meteora Bloom landed in the ground in front of her, the axe head catching as the chain of Summer’s weapon blocked the hit. Summer followed her weapon, her white cloak glowing gold in the streetlights as she used her leap to kick the Ripper in the face.

He glared at her, rubbing his jaw. Summer held her weapon in its battle axe form, her entire frame fading slightly as she stared him down with silver eyes. Raven pushed herself up, refusing to hold her ribs.

“Move, sweet girl.” His voice was a rasping, empty thing that reminded Raven of nails scraping down a chalkboard.

“No.” Summer’s voice trembled pathetically. “You have to go through me, and I’m a lot harder to hit.” Raven glared at her. Bitch.

“Excuse you-”

“Shut up, Raven.” Summer didn’t even deign to look at her. Raven was going to fucking kill her.

 The Ripper glanced at his watch as it began to trill, shooting them a dark glare as he spat at their feet. He turned tail and ran, disappearing into the maze of alleyways. Raven started forward before Summer’s hand slammed hard into her chest, halting her progress.

Raven glared at the shorter girl. “You’re letting him get away.”

“We’re retreating for now until you’re healed, and- and then we will bring him in.”

“Will you stop being a coward? I would have won if-”

“You’re _WRONG!_ ” Summer yelled at her, spots of colour forming on her pale cheeks. “You’re wrong you’re wrong you’re wrong! You wouldn’t have won! Your aura is broken because you were being stupid and attacking when you knew that your blades weren’t working! You could have died! We’re going back to the hotel, and you can either come with me or stay out here and get yourself killed!”

Raven blinked at her. Where was this coming from? How dare Summer tell her she was wrong? Raven knew combat better than anyone. She was trained to fight. Trained for this life since Glesni had placed a knife in her hands. “Excuse me?”

“We failed tonight. Because of you. So tomorrow, we’re going to do better. And you have to be able to trust me. That’s why we’re on this mission.” Summer wiped her eyes.

Raven scoffed and clenched her fists. “Pathetic.” Summer was terrified. It was obvious. Raven wasn’t scared at all. She wasn’t a coward.

“No. No I’m not. I-I’ll leave the window open in case you want to get in and the front doors are locked.” Summer disappeared, her outline shimmering in the fog as she went back to their rooms, leaving Raven alone on the fog-filled street.

She could feel the weakness that came from a shattered aura. She hated it. Her hand jumped to her empty hilt as she thought she heard motion in the alleys surrounding her, keeping her final blade ready as she began the trek back. No more rooftop jumping tonight.

Summer had no right to claim she didn’t know what she was doing. Strength always won. It was the way of things.

Obviously.

* * *

Qrow pushed past Taiyang to claim the seat at the front of the boat. It was his. He dropped the pack of extra dust cartridges next to him. “Move it, Xiao Long.”

Taiyang’s eye twitched. It was fucking hilarious. “Whatever, uh, Branwen.” Nice try, like that would work. Taiyang seemed to get a little offended every time Qrow called him Xiao Long. So he’d keep calling him that, obviously.

Qrow gave him his best smirk and watched Taiyang’s fists clench. Gonna start a fight? Bring it on.

“Hey,” Taiyang turned in his seat to look at the old guy sitting by the engine. Apparently he was going to try play ‘ignore the annoyance’. Not gonna work, pal. “We didn’t get your name.”

“I’m Mad James.” What a great name. “You boys gone fishing before?”

“I’m from Vacuo.” Qrow wondered if the rumours were right about Vacuo, that it was a savage wasteland full of thieves and scoundrels with no care for anyone or anything but themselves. Sounded like home. H hated home.

“Hope you know how to swim then, desert boy!” Mad James gunned the engines, sending the small skipper careening over the waves. The outline of the town was quickly swallowed up by the shadow of the Merlot Industries facility. Qrow leaned his weight forward into the bow of the boat, feeling the wind whip through his hair. Was this anything what flying felt like? This speed? The wind? He loved it.

“You sure there’s gonna be an attack?” Taiyang had to yell a little bit to make sure he was heard over the roar of the engine and the sound of the wind. Qrow wrinkled his nose. He would never smell anything that wasn’t sea salt ever again in his life.

“You bet! There always is, nowadays. They still send the boats out. Gotta keep fishing.”

“Holy fuck, you people are dumb!” Qrow yelled back, squinting to see through the darkness. Perfect time to be hinting Grimm, the creatures that were basically made of fucking darkness. Totally sane.

“Qrow, don’t be rude!”

“Fucking bite me, Xiao Long.”

“How ‘bout I hit you instead if you don’t stop talking?” Qrow was very proud of himself. Apparently a day of uninterrupted needling following the shitstorm of Taiyang’s semblance was able to piss both of them off.

Not that he wanted to face that fucking monstrosity again. Hell no. He just wanted to make sure Taiyang knew Qrow wasn’t scared of him.

Mad James let out a deep belly laugh that got both boys to look at him. “Maybe you’ll draw a fight here for us, ay? Just be patient. Fishing is all about waiting.”

Qrow scoffed and leaned against one side of the boat, kicking his feet up onto the other. “Whatever. I just hope it attacks soon so we can kill it and leave.”

He noticed Taiyang crossing his arms, the other teenager shooting a worried glance over the edge of the boat. “Bit nervous there, Xiao Long?”

“Shut the fuck up, Qrow.” Taiyang kept his arms crossed for all of five seconds before Qrow saw him shifting in the lantern light. Stop fidgeting, you blond asshole. “So, have you seen this Grimm before?”

“Yep! Took my hand with it!” He held up the hook with the biggest grin Qrow had ever seen. Crazy bastard. “You’ll know when it gets here. You’ll see the fin. Big an’ black an’ tipped with bone.”

“The… fin?” Taiyang sounded nervous. More nervous than usual. Qrow wondered why. If Taiyang wanted, he could probably just fucking tear the Grimm in half with his bare hands, no weapons required. Not that it mattered. Taiyang was a coward.

“Yes! It’s a big Grimm shark! He’s gotten a taste of me, and I can’t wait to blast him when he tries to get the rest.” He held up his gun.

“So are you a good shot?” Qrow watched as Taiyang very quickly pulled his weapons on, whipping his head around and scanning for the black, bone-tipped fin. Bit paranoid there, Taiyang?

Not that they’d see it in the dark. Maybe they’d see the glowing red eyes, but just a fin? Nah.

“Nope!” That was not a good reason to start fucking grinning. Senile dope. “That’s why I use a shotgun.”

“At least someone on this thing has some range in their fighting style. You going to punch the shark, Xiao Long?”

“If it gets close enough.”

“You should just sit back and relax. Don’t worry your blond head about it while I take care of the work. Like a real Huntsman.”

Taiyang snorted smoke, glaring at him. “Qrow, this is not the best time.”

“Whatever.” Qrow crossed his arms as the silence stretched, the skipper gently bobbing in the water as he leaned back against one edge of the little boat. He kicked his feet up on the other side, the silence and the back-and-forth sway of the waves starting to send him off back to sleep again.

This was so fucking boring holy shit. Hurry up, Grimm.

There was a boom from off in the distance as what had to be the fishing boat exploded. Awake! He was awake! He heard water flying everywhere as the screams filled the air, squinting to see the outline of timber drifting in the water as the bow of the boat began to sink into the waves. The waves glowed where dust from the engines leaked into the sea, lighting it up like some fancy painting the rich folks in Mistral loved.

“Finally,” he grinned, “Some action.”

The boat shook as Qrow stood, aiming his weapon at the nearly invisible black triangle cutting through the water before he pulled the trigger, silhouetted against the glow of spilt dust. He missed as the bone tipped fin vanished below the surface and bit back a curse. Stay calm. Anger would only draw the Grimm to them instead of leaving it to pick off the survivors of the newly destroyed wreckage.

It was cold and harsh and much more what Raven would think, but Qrow didn’t see any other option. They had to know what they were dealing with, and they had to kill it. Not get killed.

The boat rocked as Taiyang grabbed the sides, Qrow adjusting his stance as Mad James started the engines. They skimmed over the waves towards the wreckage, the people in the water desperately clinging to pieces of wood. Dust spiralled out of the broken engines, staining the water as it refused to sink.

One by one, the splashing of people desperately staying afloat were silenced, yanked under the sea one at a time.

Qrow aimed his weapon at where the latest splashing had stopped, firing off round after round that exploded in the water. “Any ideas?”

“We need a bigger boat?” Taiyang was white as a sheet.

Qrow saw the faintest glow of red under the water, and something that looked almost… green? Was that green? Whatever it was, probably the Bone-Tip, it was moving towards them. He made a guess at its size. “You’re not wrong. For once.”

He heard the distinctive metallic sound that was Taiyang punching his fists together, because that was fucking useful.

He reloaded. When the fin poked out of the water he fired, relying on Mad James and the engine to keep them from being tipped over. That would be a death sentence. This really wasn’t a good way to fight. The Grimm had all the advantages.

His mind raced as he tried to think of a way to kill this Grimm, this Grimm that had every advantage against them, the boat under them taking a sharp turn. He heard Taiyang’s yelp and reacted on instinct, grabbing Taiyang’s flailing wrist and leaning his own weight back, barely keeping them both on the boat.

Taiyang’s claws broke the surface of the water as he gave Qrow a wary look. “… Thanks?”

Qrow stared back, not entirely sure what expression his face was making. “Fuck you.” Taiyang’s confusion turned into a glare.

“I take it back. No thanks for you.”

“Just shut up and fight.” Qrow yanked him back up, watching as Taiyang flicked glimmering water off his weapon. The motion made the distinctive sound of dust. Gears started to turn in his head as Qrow glanced at the water, at the dust spilling out of the wreckage and glowing faintly in the pitch black sea. The glowing, _volatile_ dust.

He smirked as he poured his aura into a jump, clearing the ocean entirely and landing in a roll on the sinking bow of the fishing boat. The water smelt of more than just salt now. There was a copper scent clinging to the air.

Qrow moved towards the engines, hearing Taiyang thud on the wood behind him. “The fuck are you doing?” He didn’t tell Taiyang to follow him. He could do this on his own. He was strong enough.

“Why are we here, Qrow?” Taiyang’s voice was a little hitched there. Nervous, much?

“Well, I was here to actually kill this thing. But you just had to stick your big useless nose in, didn’t you?” Qrow’s hackles raised.

Taiyang’s hands were shaking as he stepped forward, towards Qrow and away from the edge of the wreckage. “Okay, I have had it with you!”

“Then run off back onto the boat and be a coward like Rose!” He barely dodged the swing Taiyang took at him. He danced back, holding his sword in front of him as he tried not to think of golden eyes and a ground-shaking roar. Taiyang wouldn’t dare, not when Qrow could push him into the ocean.

Right?

Smoke curled out of Taiyang’s nostrils. “Shut up! Don’t you dare insult her! She’s a better person then you’ll ever be.”

“Right, yeah, you two are best friends forever or something twee like that, right?”

“What is your problem with me? Can you just hurry up and say it?”

“My problem? You’re the one with problems, you-” the wood under them shattered as the Bone Tip erupted out of the water. The teenagers jumped back and Qrow remembered why he’d fucking jumped over here in the fist. Place. Fucking Taiyang was distracting him. Asshole. Was he trying to get them both killed?

But the Grimm was here and Qrow didn’t want to risk it going after him. He wasn’t scared, he just had a more important idea then taking potshots with his weapon.

There was only one option.

He couldn’t believe he was going to say this.

“Xiao Long!”

“What is it now?” Taiyang’s voice seemed to have suddenly jumped an octave, the blond currently holding the bone-tip’s jaws open as it tried to eat his face.

“I need you to keep that thing distracted, and keep it around us, away from Mad James. He’s our ticket out of here.”

“Yu need me to what?!” Taiyang’s eyes turned gold. The white bone mask of the Grimm was suddenly pushed back, just long enough for Taiyang to get clear.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing, idiot!”

He would have to rely on Taiyang to not die instantly. Something he never thought he’d do after he saw just how out of control the other teenager was. Not that it was scary or anything. No. Definitely not.

They had to kill a Grimm and that was it. Taiyang could at least be good bait.

Was it bad of him to think like that? Why did he care? He didn’t.

“Where are you going?” Qrow looked at the twin pinpricks of fire, wondering if Taiyang’s face was as pale as it had been when the other teenager had punched him across the room. The lights of his eyes glinted off metal gauntlets, over and over. Qrow hazarded a guess and decided Taiyang’s hands were probably shaking.

“I have a plan.” He sheathed his blade.

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Taiyang’s voice definitely cracked. Did he suddenly want Qrow to stay? Where the hell had all that bravado gone? Where was the rage? What the fuck was going on in Taiyang’s head.

Qrow looked back over his shoulders, the shimmering dust in the water throwing flickers of light and shadow over their faces.

Dusty red met fearful gold.

Taiyang was scared. Scratch that, he was terrified.

It was a weird thought.

When Taiyang had lost it, ripped into Barbleue, he had been powerful. More than anyone had a right to be. But right now he was scared.

Qrow realised he was staring, but Taiyang was staring back. What a fucking pair they were.

“Trust me.” He hadn’t earned it.

Taiyang was quiet. Then he nodded. Like it was that simple.

He could think about that later. He hopped off the broken mast, landing on the stern as he disappeared into the wreckage to find what he was looking for. He thought it was dark outside the wreck. How wrong he was.

He listened for the distinctive sound of agitated dust, the spillage from the engine the only source of light down here. The puncture was a bit of a problem, but as long as he didn’t blow himself up, his plan might work.

He hacked at the wood around the engine, pulling it free as he let his aura take the brunt of the weight. Fuck, they made them heavy here. He carried it out, just in time to watch Taiyang punch a giant Grimm shark in the face.

He grimaced, feeling his knees starting to wobble under the weight of the destroyed engine. “Taiyang!”

Taiyang instantly jumped over to the stern, the wood creaking under both their weights. His eyes were blue again.

“Do I want to know?” He picked up the engine with one hand like it was nothing. Show off.

“It’s powered by dust. Agitated dust. If we get the bastard to bit it, I can blow his brains out.” Qrow placed his hands on the small of his back and stretched back until something went click.

“That-that is a really good plan. I’m on-board,” Taiyang’s grin was more of a grimace. “Get it? On board? Because we’re on a ship and the Grimm is coming back and have you actually seen how big it is because it is _BIG_ Qrow I don’t know how big because I haven’t fully seen it but it still looks big as in so big it will use your sword as a toothpick when it’s finished with us and we are definitely about to-”

“Taiyang!” His name got his attention again. Here went nothing. “Don’t panic. It’s just a fish. A big, dumb fish.”

“Qrow, are you sure about this?”

“No.” Why were they suddenly not trading insults like always. “But do you have a better idea?”

Taiyang shook his head. “I guess not.” He bit the inside of his cheek. “Qrow, if we die, I-”

“Mention the word ‘die’ again and I’ll boot your ass up between your ears. Let’s just get this over with.” He ran onto the highest part of the ship’s hull and crouched, lining up the hilt of his weapon as the blade cranked down, ready to take the shot.

He squinted before he saw the glint of white that was the tip of the fin. It moved towards the wreckage, cutting through the water. Qrow finally got a good look at the Bone-Tip, visible against the dust-tinted waves. The white mask was filled with rows and rows of teeth, an extra red eye perched just behind the red-lined gills. Mottled streaks of green were barely visible in the black that made up the creature’s body, light pulsing off them like some twisted heartbeat. The bony plating extended under the jaw, and of Qrow had to hazard a guess, he’d say it went all the way down the Grimm’s belly.

Taiyang’s knees were wobbling as he ran forward onto the mast, the metal of his gauntlets getting stained with dust as the Bone-Tip leapt out of the water at him. He pushed the engine at the Grimm, scuttling back as it sank its teeth into the new object.

Qrow closed one eye, let out half a breath, sighted down along the barrel, and exhaled completely. The shot barely grazed the metal, but it was enough for the volatile dust.

Taiyang jumped out of range as the engine exploded, sending water rocketing into the sky before it began to cascade down, accompanied by chunks of metal and Grimm smoke. There was a creak and a shattering of wood, a splash and yelp. Taiyang really screamed like a girl when he got spooked. Hadn’t he ever seen an explosion before?

Qrow huffed a laugh, sheathing his weapon. They fucking did it. Thirteen boats to the shark Grimm, and the Bone-Tip to Team STRQ. They fucking won. Die, motherfucker, die. Who was useless now, Glesni? Who was fucking useless now?

“Taiyang! We killed it! I’d have thought you’d be cheering.” The air was silent, aside from Mad James motoring towards them with a whoop. Qrow looked around, noting that the wreckage was devoid of people, aside from what the Grimm had left when it destroyed the boat. “Taiyang?”

He looked in the direction that the other teenager had gone when he was escaping the blast zone and saw nothing. No movement.

No sign of Taiyang. That was a good thing though, right? Taiyang was an unstable pain in the ass and Qrow was better off without him.

Still, he should probably make sure the moron wasn’t dead, or else he could get detention or some bullshit like that.

“Taiyang?” He walked over, looking for the other teenager before his foot met air and he nearly fell down through the wood. The water was like ice as it soaked his foot. He caught himself, barely keeping himself on the deck as he felt out the hole. It was easily big enough for Qrow to fall completely through. Just big enough for Taiyang.

A chill that had nothing to do with the night breeze dragged its fingers up his spine. Hadn’t he heard wood cracking right as Taiyang jumped away from the explosion? Wasn’t there a splash? A yelp that he had thought was Taiyang just being all nervous?

“Tai!” Shit shit shit this was his fault. He never should have gotten near Taiyang.

Trying to save him could just get them both killed, and there could be other sea Grimm down there, who weren’t stupid enough to announce their presence by attacking fishing boats. Taiyang was probably dead already. There was no point. The weak die, the strong live. They’d done nothing but fight and fight and fight. Why would he want to save someone he hated?

What if it was him? Would Taiyang try?

Qrow took a deep breath and dove in, the ocean swallowing him whole.


	6. An Endless Vast Uphill Climb

Jack watched her as she hunted him, her watchful figure moving through the rain and wind. He’d traced the two Huntresses back to their hotel, and waited for her to leave.

Now she was playing the part of predator, ignorant of her position as his prey.

There she was. He’d watched the girl all day, knowing that he himself needed the time to recover his full strength. He’d stalked her movements through Little Odinium, waited as she replenished her coppery aura and filled her blade with dust.

His hollow gaze raked over her as he studied every inch of her young body, hidden under her school uniform. From the swell of her chest to the curves of her hips, he memorised it all.

It was such a shame the Beacon students wore such dark colours. It didn’t show the blood. What he’d give to see those shapely legs of her splattered with red. He wondered if her skin was as pale under those tights as her slender hands were. Not that he minded her ivory visage. It was a perfect contrast to her ebony locks, wild and untamed. The jet sheen to her hair was only heightened by the rain soaking it, turning it to molten tar rather than black fire.

Her fey features carried her stubbornness, the stubborn set of her jaw taking away from her graceful countenance. But it was the eyes that drew him. Those stunning scarlet orbs that narrowed and shone with her rage. He looked forward to the sight of those eyes wide with agony, glittering like uncut rubies.

Rubies. Scarlet. Why, he couldn’t wait to see her eyes die from the inside as he ripped out her heart. Then he could take them, those pretty little jewels the colour of blood. Rip them from their sockets as her life flowed over his hands, the same colour as her pretty pretty eyes, before he mutilated her beauty and licked his hands clean.

He’d take her heart too, of course. The heart of her white-cloaked partner would make such a nice set. He collected them. His employer demanded the hearts, and the hearts were what she would receive. It was only fair.

She paid him his weight in gold, and he got to punish the women who dared to be so beautiful. Craven little whores, who did nothing to earn their extraordinary looks and wasted them on folly and foibles.

But that mattered not. There was killing to be done. He followed his chosen prey, cogs and wheels turning in his mind.

But what was the point in merely killing the girl with sanguine eyes? She deserved to suffer like he did every day, watching those beautiful girls flaunt themselves without care for their dignity.

He slipped down from his cranny, his steps silent as the grave as he followed the Huntress over the cobblestones, the falling droplets masking his breathing, the sound of blood rushing to his hands and his heart thumping in anticipation.

He was the perfect predator, stealthy and lethal.

Yet his prey knew, spinning on her heel as she drew her weapon with unanticipated speed. His daggers sprang from his wrists, the sharp pain a counterpoint to the pleasure he felt at the coming violence.

Her strike was easily blocked, unlike the kick she gave him, knocking him far down to the street before she lunged. He noticed the flat of the blade was the part of her weapon that made impact with his skin, jarring him rather than cutting.

Clever girl. She had obviously decided that if she could not cut through his blood, she would try instead to pummel him into submission. Such brutality was unbecoming of such a slightly maiden. He hardened the veins below his skin, her aura appearing on every blow. He wondered if the effect was the same as hitting a stone wall.

“Your aura cannot last you forever, sweet girl!” He told her jauntily, the ends of his scarf blowing in the wind as cold rain pelted them.

“I could say the same to you.” The vitriol in her voice was so unbecoming.

“Last we met, I had just killed a darling little lamb. Tonight you find me better rested.” His spikes formed in his hands as he flattered her with a smile. This was going to be such fun.

* * *

Summer hung her cloak up in the wardrobe, rubbing her pale shoulders as she sat down on the bed. She noticed her hands were trembling. She couldn’t believe she had yelled at Raven. It didn’t seem like her.

But it had to be. Ozpin was right. She had to be a leader now. She had to be brave. She could do this.

Her hands stilled as she placed Meteora Bloom by her bed, admiring her beautiful weapon for a moment. Her favourite part of the design were the intricate rose carvings on the two handles, the kusari that linked them clinking as she ran her fingers over the chain-links. She was proud of her weapon. The nunchaku form was her personal favourite because the variable length of the chain gave her so much range, but the axe blades were definitely the best for fighting Grimm.

If she was going to add a gun portion, where would it go? One handle stored the axe blades and the other stored the chain. Would she have to add on a whole new portion that could give her a range advantage? Maybe that could be her next project. The advantage of actually using dust in combat was one that couldn’t be ignored.

Speaking of ignoring dust in combat.

Summer looked up as Raven walked in, her fingertips starting to fade from view along with the ends of her hair, her entire form becoming slightly translucent. She forced herself back into view, refusing to let her fear activate her semblance. Just for now.

She couldn’t disappear now.

Raven’s eyes burned as she started yelling. “What the hell is your problem?! Ordering me around? Who do you think you are to stand there and judge me?!”

Summer cringed back slightly before steeling herself and standing up, much shorter then Raven. “I’m your leader.”

“You’re a pain in the ass,” Raven snorted. “What makes you think that I’ll listen to anything you have to say? You’re not a leader, you’re a scared little girl! Look at you, standing there and fading! Just disappear, Summer, cower in the corner and cry like you’re good at!”

Summer stood straighter. “No. No I’m done disappearing. I am done letting you push me around and act like you’re the boss, because you’re not! You don’t know how to lead, you just know how to scare people into doing what you say!”

“That’s what leading is, you idiot! You think you can lecture me? You think you can lead? Well, you can’t! You can’t do anything! I can, because I’m better then you! I’m stronger then you’ll ever be!”

“Strength doesn’t matter! Can’t you see that?”

“Strength is the only thing that matters! You’re weak, Summer. You can’t even win a fight with a heart-ripping psycho!”

“You lost, too!”

“I actually did something! You just hid in the fog and waited for me to save you! If I’m always saving you, then why do you think you know better?”

“I- Ozpin chose me for a reason!”

“He chose wrong! What do you know about being a leader?”

“More than you do!”

Summer didn’t see it coming.

She felt it, clutching her face as her cheek stung with fire. Her pale skin was bright red from the force of Raven’s backhand.

Raven was livid, her hand barely retreating before she brought it around for a blow to the other side of Summer’s face. “You don’t know anything!”

Summer caught her wrist in an iron grip, silver eyes hard as steel. “No.” Her grip tightened as Raven tried to pull her hand back.

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I’m not going to fight you. That’s what you want.”

“Afraid you’ll lose?”

Summer’s eyes narrowed. “Afraid I’ll _win_?”

Raven yanked her hand back, foot meeting in Summer’s stomach as she pushed her back. Summer stumbled and dodged to the side, avoiding the wild punch.

The next kick caught her in the shoulder, pain flaring through her back. Summer refused to disappear. Raven was not going to win this. She could have died out there, and now she wanted to blame Summer?

“Stop dodging and fight me like you mean it, you coward!” Raven kicked her again, the small space making it hard to for her to miss.

Summer ducked under it and tackled Raven back, pinning her to the wall. “Your aura’s still gone, mine isn’t. This fight is already over, so stop being a bitch!”

“It’s not over yet!”

“Yes! It is! You’re not the leader, and you never will be! Get it through your head! Your strength doesn’t matter, because there’s always someone out there who’s stronger, and right now, that’s _me._ I’ve beaten you before and I’ll do it again if I have to!”

Summer’s chest heaved, spots of colour blooming high on her cheeks, one of them scarlet from Raven’s slap. “No, I don’t know how to be a leader. I’ve never led before. But I do know that I don’t want to be a leader like you. You push your weight around like you’re the strongest, most clever person in the world, but you’re not a leader. You’re not a good person. You’re just a bully, Raven.”

Raven gritted her teeth. “You don’t know anything about me!”

“You’re right. I don’t. But I know people like you. And they’re not good leaders either.” Summer let go of Raven’s wrist, stepping back from the wall. “I don’t know how to lead. That doesn’t matter. I just know the sort of person I’d be willing to follow. So that’s the sort of leader I’ll be.”

“That’s pathetic,” Raven blustered. “What sentimental fairy-tale world do you live in?”

“The same one as you. Life’s not a fairy-tale. But that’s what we are for, Raven. That’s what Huntresses do. We make things better.” Summer’s silver aura danced over her cheek to heal the remaining mark.

“Ozpin chose me. I’m not going to let him down. I’m not going to be a mistake he made. And I am not going to be afraid of you anymore.”

Raven’s fists clenched. “You-”

“No,” Summer cut her off. “You’re not going to keep throwing a temper tantrum and expecting things to go your way. You’re in Beacon for the same reason I am. We’re here to be Huntresses. Act like it.”

Raven’s mouth clacked shut, her fists shaking as her knuckles whitened. “I’m nothing like you.”

Summer dropped her eyes. “I don’t want to be like you, either. Rest up. When your aura’s recovered, we’re going out again. We can stop this man, but we have to work together.”

Raven looked down her nose at the shorter girl. Summer was so done with it all. “No. I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody. I’m strong enough to do this myself, and you’re just in my way.” Raven shoved Summer back.

Summer barely moved. “Raven, you lost!”

“Shut. Up.”

“You saw it yourself, your blades don’t do anything against him. He’s got his own personal armour. So what are you going to do about that? Hit him harder?”

“If I have to!”

Summer set her jaw. “That’s why you’re not the leader. All you think of is strength, and when that doesn’t work, you get angry. And stupid.”

“How dare you-”

“Call you stupid? It’s true. Right now I am your leader. Ozpin chose me, and not you. So you can stop acting like you didn’t get what you deserve, because someone as awful as you doesn’t deserve to be leader.”

“Awful? Do you know how childish you sound?”

“DO you know how childish you _are_? You’re mean, cruel, obnoxious, arrogant, and think you’re better than everyone else. This ends now. All of it. The temper tantrums, picking fights, acting like you’re better then everyone else when you can’t even win a fight against me. It’s over. Got it?”

She bit the inside of her lip, refusing to cower as Raven studied her. She had to be strong. Just once. Just once. The taller girl tilted her head appraisingly, staring through her with those ruby eyes. Summer stared back and tried not to feel small. She wanted to curl up in her cloak and disappear. But she wouldn’t.

A cruel sneer curled Raven’s lips. “You must think I’m weak, that I’m going to listen to you when all you’ve done is acted like a brat. Look at you, standing there, trying not to vanish. You’re pathetic.”

Summer flinched back. “That’s not true!”

“Yes, it is. You need me to win a fight, but I don’t need you. Go back to Patch, Summer. You’re no Huntress. Just disappear. That’s the only thing you’re good at.”

“Raven, don’t-”

The door slammed behind her, closing off any attempt to stop her.

“- go.” Summer stared at the closed door. What was she meant to do now?

* * *

Raven couldn’t help but think about the fight as her blade clashed against the Ripper’s blood. Her blood boiled when she remembered how Summer had talked down to her, like Summer was better then Raven.

Summer was wrong. Raven was the best, and she knew it. She’d do this without Summer’s help. She was strong enough and smart enough to take down the Ripper by herself.

She grunted in effort as she pushed him back before she darted to the side, letting him stumble forward as she kicked him in the back. She knew what he could do now. No more nasty little tricks to trip her up.

She allowed herself a proud smirk as he hit the ground, her smile turning into a snarl as he rolled to his feet. He looked angry.

Good. Anger was useless in a fight.

Raven readied her blade, giving herself a moment to plan before she attacked. She was careful not to strike him hard enough to shatter her weapon. She had spare blades, but it was still best to be careful. At least for now.

She kicked him hard in the stomach, spinning her sword into a reverse grip as she steadied her stance. He lunged at her and she threw her fist forward, her knuckles meeting his jaw before the rest of her blade followed the punch. She split the skin of his face, jarring against his blood vessels before the blade shattered.

She saw anger flare in his dark eyes before she hit the ground hard, quickly pulling a new blade from her sheath as she dodged his downward strike. His blades dug hard into the pavement as he used them as a pivot point, swinging both feet hard into her side.

The wall crumbled around her as she went through it, her copper aura flickering. She gritted her teeth, pulling herself out of the rubble as she barely kept a grip on her ōdachi. She brought her blade up to block a hit, kicking him back as she got back out onto the street.

She spared a glance at her aura meter. Three-quarters left. She could win this. End him for good. She didn’t need Summer. She didn’t need anyone.

Not even Qrow. He’d just mess everything up and get in her way. She always had to protect him.

She swung the hilt of her blade in under the Ripper’s arm, hitting his side hard and slashing down his ribs. Even if it didn’t get deep, it still hurt. She could tell by the sharp hiss of breath. If it took a hundred thousand cuts to kill him, than that’s what she’d do.

She dodged his attack and sliced open another cut on his arm. Blood hit the ground at their feet and she grinned wildly. So he could bleed after all. Excellent.

She clashed her blade against his, barely breathing hard as her eyes glinted victoriously. This was going to be easier then she thought if she was already drawing real blood from him.  His semblance made the protective nature of aura useless.

The Ripper cocked his head with a mocking smile, the slash over his face open and raw. She pushed her ōdachi harder against his blades, forcing him back as she registered the strain in her weapon. Smiling was a bad sign. What was he plotting?

Something hit her gut, trying to pierce through her aura. She stumbled back, pressing her hand against her stomach to check for damage. Nothing yet. Her aura had dropped at that hit. What the hell? That didn’t feel like a kick.

Her eyes landed on the spike that protruded out of the ground at his feet, the same sanguine colour as his blades. She gritted her teeth. That must have been the blood she spilt before. The cut on his arm had been a trap, a way to try lower her guard.

Fine. He wanted to piss her off? He could learn why that was a bad idea. She was Raven Branwen. No one played her for a fool. Especially not a deranged two-bit killer with a creepy semblance.

* * *

Shards of ice dug into every inch of Qrow as he swam down, unable to see anything at all in the inky blackness of the ocean. He had to find Taiyang. Taiyang was strong, and he didn’t deserve to die. Not like this.

He couldn’t see a fucking thing. How the hell was he meant to find the blond idiot if he couldn’t see?

He felt his lungs start to strain and had no choice, swimming back up to take a breath. He broke the surface of the water and the wind chill was even worse then the water itself. These clothes were probably dead. He hoped he could save the cape. The thing had kept him warm on so many watches that he’d be sad to see it go.

He had to think of a way to find Tai fast. Aura could only hold out for so long. The dust around him glimmered, some of the watery dust stuck to his hair and skin, gleaming like starlight. He’d come up in a big pool of it.

That was an idea. A very dumb one, but hey, he was on a roll for dumb ideas working tonight. One for one was a roll.

He took in another gulp and dove, groping blindly at his back as he pulled out his weapon and shot a round off into the ocean. The white dust glowed like a flare, unaffected by the water like fire would be. He watched the light travel away from him and spotted an answering glint of light, reflecting off metal. Now that he thought about it, there was something there that looked a little less black then the rest of the ocean.

That was a better chance than any. He kicked towards it, his aura making his kicks stronger, propelling him through the freezing water as everything went dark again. He had two rounds left, if his maths was right. Better make them count.

The dust round lit up the underworld below the waves, and Taiyang was there, the warped light making patterns on his face and over his closed eyes as bubbles gently trickled out his lips. The water around Taiyang felt warmer than the rest of the frozen depths, but it was fading fast. His limbs were floating around him like some marionette puppet, his hair flowing around him like seaweed. The golden light of his aura danced frantically over him, trying to protect him as it fizzled away. Qrow sheathed his weapon to his back as he grabbed the other teenager, fitting his elbow under Taiyang’s arm and head as he began to kick towards the surface, one arm free to help pull himself along.

His chest was about to burst as he saw the glitter of dust above him, letting go of the breath as it bubbled up out of his mouth. He broke the surface of the sea, gasping for air and hefting Taiyang’s face up with him. Taiyang’s lips were blue and water streamed out of them, not really making any attempt at breathing like Qrow did. Wet dust streaked both of them, glittering like the night sky above.

“Don’t be dead,” Qrow muttered, his free hand patting at Taiyang’s neck before he pressed two fingers under his jaw, resting them against the jugular as he held his breath. “Don’t be dead, please don’t be dead Summer will kill me if you die.” Come on, Tai.

There was a faint thump against his fingertips and he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank fuck. He kept Taiyang’s head up, hands shaking as his fingers started to numb. He reached for his weapon, pointed it up, his fingers taking a few tries before he fired, using up his last dust round as some whacked out version of a signal flare.

He heard an engine coming towards them and kept hold of his weapon, treading water to try stay afloat. Taiyang was fucking heavy. He heard Mad James laughing as a lantern was shone over both of them, Qrow’s pupils contracting as he ducked his head from the light with a hiss.

“Ha! You two are tough little buggers, arent’cha?” Mad James pulled up beside them and reached for Taiyang, the two of them pushing the blond into the boat before he offered Qrow a hand to pull him up.

Qrow flopped onto the little skipper and just lay there on his back. “I’ve decided I hate this place.” Full offence, Mad James.

“It takes some getting used to.” James started pumping at Taiyang’s chest and Qrow honestly didn’t care why or what he was doing. Taiyang was now out of the water, and he didn’t have to care.

He heard a loud gurgle of water followed by a hacking cough, then Taiyang gasped deep, hungry for oxygen. Qrow kept a grip on his weapon as he fumbled around with his free hand, finding wet metal that felt suspiciously hand-shaped and patting it once.

“Good job Tai.” There was a twitch of fingers under him and he guess Tai heard. Even with aura, Qrow was utterly fucked. Taiyang was barely awake after his aura break. The combination of trying to fight off the cold and keep Taiyang from dying must have used up everything the blond had left.

“Let’s never do this again.”  

* * *

Raven picked herself up, breathing heavily as her hair fell in her face. She blew it out of her eyes and drew another sword, the ground littered with the shards of her other blades. “Had enough yet?”

He looked far too unbothered to have been fighting for so long. She brought her blade out of the sheath to block his attack, her heels sliding back across the ground. She broke the blade lock and got some distance, taking a minute to weigh her options.

She was faster, stronger, better, but she was tiring. She wasn’t sure how much more her aura could take, but he could take more damage. He just didn’t stop. She was strong enough to beat him, if it wasn’t for the danger that would come from spilling his blood.

She had apparently hesitated too long, barely blocking one of his daggers before his fist hit her ribs. She hit the pavement, using her sword to help her stand back up. The Ripper smiled at her and drew one of his daggers down his palm, flinging droplets of blood at her.

Raven’s eyes widened before she felt something wrap around her waist, yanking her into the air. She barely avoided the needles that speared into the ground where she had crouched, hitting a rooftop with a grunt.

 She felt hands touch her shoulder and jerked away. She knew who it was. “Fuck off! I don’t need your help!”

Summer’s face was red with anger. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? Raven, you idiot! You can’t just run off like that!”

“I told you, I don’t-”

“Stop it! Enough! Just shut up, Raven, I don’t want to hear it. Now, do you have any blades left?”

Raven stared at her in shock. “What does that have to do with-” Raven grunted as Summer pulled the chain tighter. “What the hell?”

“Raven, I’ve had it with you. You’re arrogant, reckless, stupid, and the worst person I’ve ever met. You’re a terrible teammate, and you’ll never be a good leader, and if you’re just going to be unhelpful, then so be it.”

Summer glared at her before her features softened. “But that’s not what I want. I want you to be able to trust me. I want to be able to trust you. And I want us to do our jobs, and catch a murderer.”

She held out a hand, retracting the chain of her weapon. “So please, will you stop being such a witch with a B?”

Raven blinked at her. “Even after all that, you still won’t swear at me? Are you serious?”

“Well, that would be rude, which is more your style. So, what’s it going to be? Work with me and get this over with?”

Raven stood up without Summer’s help, her hand falling to the hilt of her sword. “Give me one good reason why I should listen to you.”

“I have a plan.”

Raven growled irritably. “That’s not good enough.”

“Yes, because attacking him over and over is working out so well for you.” Summer had the gall to roll her eyes at her. How dare she?

“Like you could think of anything better. Strength is all that matters in a fight.”

Summer pinched the bridge of her nose. “What? No, no, no. Remember the first time we sparred? All of us? How did Qrow beat Tai?”

“He had an opening, and he used it.” She knew that Taiyang only stumbled in that fight because of her little brother’s pesky semblance.

“Exactly. Taiyang had a worse defence, but a stronger hitting power, so the second he slipped up, Qrow made his move. How did I defeat you?”

Raven looked away, not wanting to think about it. “You…” She cleared her throat. “You panicked and got lucky.”

Summer stared flatly at her. “Yeah, and you got angry. Which is why you lost. It’s why you’re losing now. But you don’t have to. What blades do you have left?”

Raven glanced at her sheath. “Two red blades, dark blue, a green, and a yellow.”

“Dark blue! That’s what we need!” Summer’s eyes lit up. “Raven, your blades have dust in them, right?”

“Why else would I have them?”

“Okay, here’s the plan. We’re going to actually use the dust.”

“That’s the big plan?”

“He doesn’t use dust, and his semblance is all about his blood. He doesn’t have weapons that aren’t part of him. I can go down and distract him, and when you get a good opening, you strike. You activate the dust in your ice blade and we freeze him solid. If he can’t move, he can’t fight.”

Raven crossed her arms and looked away. It wasn’t a horrible plan. She’d never admit it, of course. Summer wouldn’t ever deserve anything like that. She was weak. She wanted them to rely on dust.

If Raven had made her own weapon instead of stealing it, she wouldn’t have bothered with a revolver of elemental blades. It was a gimmick-y, stupid idea. It relied too much on dust and not on strength.

“Raven, are you in or not?” Summer was looking at her with her bright eyes.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll try your little plan,” she smirked mockingly. “And when it doesn’t work, we go back to the way we’re meant to win this fight.”

“Okay. That’s the best I can hope for with you. You know how to activate the dust in your blades?”

Raven’s cheeks coloured. “Of course I do! I’m not an idiot!”

“I- yep! Just making sure you know to activate it using a bit of your own aura, and all. I knew you knew.” Summer pulled her hood over her face. “I’m going to go fight. Wait until you have the perfect chance to get him.”

Raven scoffed as Summer disappeared, returning her attention to the Ripper. She placed the hilt of her weapon against the sheath, cycling through until the ice blade was attached. Waiting sucked.

She watched Summer fight the Ripper, luring him closer with the range her chain provided her and refusing to use the axe blades of her weapon. Obviously she didn’t want to risk the blood needles either. Raven didn’t blame her, they were a pain to keep track of.

Summer’s weapon lashed out again, the chain looping around the Ripper’s wrist as she yanked him off-balance. He pulled his hand free, stumbling backwards as Summer’s head turned towards Raven’s position. Right. The perfect moment.

Raven pulled the blade out, drawing her finger up the edge as she activated hr aura. She jumped, bringing the blade down beside the Ripper’s foot before the ice encased him, freezing him completely solid.

She stood, glancing at Summer. The other girl looked far too smug. “Shut up, Rose. So what if it worked?”

“I’m just glad we did it.” Summer sheathed her weapon and pulled out her scroll, tapping the number for the police. “Thank you, Raven.”

“For what?” She did like the sight of the Ripper who had given them so much trouble helpless in ice. She should freeze more of her problems if it all worked out as easily as this did.

“For listening to me.” Summer smiled at her.

Raven didn’t know if she had anything to say to that.

* * *

Taiyang woke up screaming.

That was the nice version, though, and Qrow was nothing if not accurate.

Big strong brawler Taiyang shrieked like a five-year-old girl on helium and jerked back, cracking his head against the ground. This made Qrow wake up too, much less dramatically.

Taiyang recovered first, bringing a hand up to clutch his heart. “What the hell were you doing?”

Qrow scowled, blinking away sleep. “No ‘thank you’? Typical.” He’d just rescued Taiyang’s life and this was the thanks he got?

What a jerk.

“Thank you?” Taiyang blinked owlishly at him.

“Yeah.” Did it really count as saving Taiyang’s life if his semblance was the reason Taiyang’s luck went to shit there? “Can’t you swim?”

“I-” the blood drained from his face. “I fell in.”

“So that’s a no then.”

Taiyang still seemed to be processing that he’d nearly drowned, his hands shaking as he buried them in his hair. Qrow’s lip curled. He could see the salt and grease matting the blond locks from here.

“Yeah, turns out you’re really fucking useless under the water. Is that why you were so scared?” Taiyang could have died. Why didn’t he say something? Qrow would have told him to stay on land, but instead he had to save Tai’s ass. What sort of fighter went out on a boat without a ranged weapon or any idea how to swim?

“It doesn’t matter, it’s over now.”

“It does matter, because if you die, my ass is dead.” Summer preferred Taiyang. It was so obvious. Even if she was a coward, he’d seen that she was good enough to beat Raven, and therefore him. Raven didn’t want to admit it, but Summer was the strongest. Strength always won.

“You saved my life.” Taiyang’s eyes were full of emotions Qrow couldn’t understand. Part of him wished that he could.

“Yeah, so what?”

“Why?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Qrow was weak. That was why. He was weak and he saved someone who wasn’t strong enough to do it themselves. Like Raven always did for him. But he’d also seen Taiyang in action and the brawler wasn’t weak then so why was he weak now? There was only strength and that mattered. Why was this so confusing? Why was Tai confusing?

“Yes it does.” Taiyang’s fire appeared to have survived being drenched. Qrow could see it in the tightening of his jaw and the stubborn set to his eyes.

Qrow’s scowl darkened. “No, it doesn’t. Listen, it doesn’t matter why, okay? Just shut up and be grateful.” He had to think of a good excuse why that wasn’t pathetic.

“But you hate me.”

“You bet your ass I do. You owe me your life now, right? That’s how it goes?”

“I’m not giving you a life debt.”

“Well, aren’t you selfish?”

“You saved me, and I want to know why.”

“I told you why!” Qrow’s red eyes blazed furiously. Taiyang was such an annoying bastard. What right did he have, being as powerful as he was and still needing help? It made no sense!

“I don’t believe you,” Taiyang growled as he stood, doing that weird breathing thing that was a sure sign he was pissed off.

“You calling me a liar, Xiao Long?” Qrow was almost certain Tai’s aura was drained, so that meant no semblance. There was nothing to fear.

Taiyang shook his head, glaring down at him. “No, there’s more to it than that. There has to be. I mean, we’re partners, and we just fought a Grimm, and are you seriously saying that you only saved me so you could have something to lord over me?”

Qrow got to his feet to try match Taiyang. Not that it would work, Taiyang actually looked like he had muscles while Qrow still looked like he could be knocked over by a gentle breeze. “Did you expect anything else?”

“You asked me to trust you!” Taiyang snapped at him.

Qrow reeled back slightly. “And that was really dumb of you, wasn’t it?” Taiyang didn’t know about his semblance. If he did, he’d never want to be around Qrow again.

“Well, I still do, even though you don’t trust me.”

“Of course I don’t trust you, you were a monster!” Qrow couldn’t forget no matter how much he tried.

Taiyang flinched back, looking like he’d just been stabbed. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, gormless and unsure. Qrow crossed his arms and tried to ignore the coiling of Not Good Emotion in his stomach.

He tried not to think about it either. About Tai. About what Tai was.

Taiyang finally tried to say something. “I-I know.”

He just accepted it, accepted that- that _thing_ , and he was _sorry_ about it? Sorry about being that strong? About being unstoppable and unkillable and everything Qrow wanted to be? Qrow’s blood boiled. If he had Taiyang’s semblance he’d bet he’d be huffing smoke and fire too. Taiyang wasn’t worthy of being so strong. Taiyang didn’t deserve power. Taiyang didn’t deserve anything but a punch to the face.

So Qrow gave him one.

It went _crunch_.

Taiyang’s head hit the ground as the rest of him followed suit with a thud. Qrow’s need to hit him, hurt him, flowed into his aura and making it stronger. He could see blood all over Taiyang’s face and all that did was remind him even more of that night when blood had been all over Taiyang’s face, but it wasn’t from his nose because he had healed, but no one else healed and Taiyang had blood dripping down his chin and Qrow kicked him again to try and make the memories _go the fuck away._

Taiyang yelped as the kick landed in his side before his hands lashed out and closed on Qrow’s shin, fingers digging into the tendons of his ankle as swung his legs up. Both knees crashed into the side of Qrow’s other leg, unbalancing him as Taiyang yanked him down to turn it into a grappling match.

Qrow snarled curses and insults he tried to push Taiyang flat on his back and off his side, aiming to pin him down and probably start punching the shit out of him. Probably. He didn’t know. He just wanted to hurt him.

Taiyang’s palm snapped into Qrow’s side, trying to push him off. The brawler placed his foot on the ground, the other leg trying to wrap in the gap between Qrow’s legs and his stomach.

Qrow’s hands hooked into the fabric of Taiyang’s shirt as he started pulling, Taiyang grabbing his wrists and reversing their positions faster than Qrow would care to admit, slamming Qrow’s shoulders down on the floor and placing his knee on Qrow’s stomach to pin him.

Qrow reared up with aura-enhanced strength, pushing Taiyang off for one sweet glorious second of victory before Taiyang’s other knee slammed into his groin, breaking his concentration. He squeaked as his aura fizzled out and Taiyang managed to keep him down.

“That was dirty,” he wheezed. Raven would approve. 

“It’s a fight,” Taiyang answered. He’s grip tightened on Qrow’s pale wrists. “Now tell me the truth.”

“What truth?” Qrow spat the words at him.

“I don’t know, why did you save my life if you’re so afraid of me?”

“I’m not afraid of you! Go to hell!”

Taiyang continued like Qrow hadn’t talked. “But since that might actually imply you got a heart somewhere in there, how about something easier? Tell me what happened with Barbleue.”

Qrow shook his head. “And why would I do that?” Raven’s favourite words.

“Because if anyone should know, don’t you think it should be the guy who actually fucking did it?” He wasn’t wrong. Not that Qrow would admit that.

Qrow tried to get free again, but Taiyang had no trouble keeping him down. Stupid big heavy muscular blond brawlers. He hated them all, even though he only knew one.

“ _Tell me_!” The roar made him freeze for a moment, irate red eyes locking onto Taiyang’s gaze. They reminded him of the ocean that had tried to kill them both, a deep dark blue it would be easy to drown in, full of loathing and anger and things he didn’t understand. So very different to the hellfire they were once.

“You don’t want to know, Tai.” He didn’t look away.

Taiyang broke the stare first, closing his eyes and sighing like a weight had settled on his shoulders. “Nope.” Qrow realised who the loathing in Taiyang’s eyes was for, and it wasn’t Qrow. “But I need to.”

Qrow couldn’t look at him anymore. “You’re not going to like it.”

So he told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am not dead. Just busy.


	7. This World's Unforgiving

Summer smiled proudly to herself as she sat with Raven in the police station, waiting for the bullhead to take them back to Beacon. She watched as they slapped a set of aura-suppressing cuffs on the Ripper and started dragging him away.

She scanned the rest of the people in the station. The police officers were looking at the Ripper with a myriad of emotions, hatred and victory ranging supreme. There was a man in handcuffs who looked bored to be in the station, a woman with a nervous expression, and another in a fancy tailored waistcoat and holding a briefcase. She looked like a lawyer of some sort, her white hair pulled back in a practical bun. She was staring at the Ripper, pink eyes nervous.

Was she worried about him attacking her? He couldn't, but Summer knew that not a lot of people had their aura unlocked, and didn't know that they could protect themselves the way Huntsmen and Huntresses could.

The woman pulled a golden pocket watch out, the chain dangling down as she checked the time before putting it away. Her foot tapped as she looked over at Raven, taking in the weapon and the confident stance.

She started making her way over, clutching her briefcase tightly in her gloved hands. "Are you the Huntress who brought in the Ripper?"

Raven spared her a glance. "I am. Who wants to know?"

"Wynn. I'm Wynn." She gestured at Summer. "Is this seat taken?"

"Eep!" Summer blinked and popped back into visibility, causing the woman to jump back with a gasp. "Sorry!"

Raven snorted. "This is Summer Rose. My partner."

Summer's head whipped around. Raven just called them partners. Well obviously, they were partners, but Raven said it.

"Oh. Well. I'm Wynn-"

"You said that." Raven studied her nails, putting on a show of how bored she was to try drive the lady away.

The lady, Wynn, seemed to notice. "Right, yes, well, I just wanted to thank you for taking the Ripper off the streets. He was so dangerous."

Summer wondered if she should say anything. She was so glad her hood was pulled up as she squeaked out a little 'you're welcome'.

Wynn seemed satisfied with that, her heels clicking as she scurried off. Summer noticed the white rabbit cottontail that poked out the back of her outfit.

Raven let her head roll back and let out a groan. "When can we just _go_?"

Summer was a little struck by the extraordinary resemblance to her twin in that moment. "Uh, the bullhead should be here in another five minutes?"

"Good. The sooner we leave here, the better. Too many nosy people. At least at Beacon everyone's too terrified to approach any of us now."

Summer folded her hands in her lap. "It's not Tai's fault."

"Well, it is, but not on purpose. I'm quite happy with the outcome actually. People know we're his team, and they leave us alone. It's exactly what I like. Silence and terrified respect."

"I don't think he wanted that."

"It doesn't matter what he wanted." Raven's red eyes bored into her own. "It's the consequences for what he did. After all, even though he wasn't in control, the rest of the school isn't going to forget that night."

Summer shrank a little bit. "I know I won't." She got lucky. She didn't see all of it. Not like Qrow had.

* * *

Qrow kept his hand over Xiao Long's mouth as he watched Barbleue go by, showing off the tail. That was fucking barbaric.

He couldn't get involved. He already had enough attention from Ozpin, they didn't need more. Or else he and Raven could get found out.

Xiao Long, apparently had other ideas. He ripped his way out of Qrow's grasp and charged out of the shadows, his shoes pounding on the ground.

Qrow swore and followed. "You idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Xiao Long bunched his legs under him before he leaped, the action remind Qrow of a hunting cat. Barbleue turned and his eyes widened, just in time to be bulldozed over by a raging blond. The faunus's tail went flying.

Qrow lunged forward, skidding over the grass to catch it before it hit the ground. He nearly threw up when he got a closer look at the bone poking out of the docked end. Holy fucking fuck what the fuck Barbleue.

"Psychopath," he hissed, shooting a glare at the fight to see Xiao Long lift his head from Barbleue's arm, his mouth a mess of blood and sinew.

It was just in time for the brawler take a sword slash to the back from Mook #1. His aura absorbed the hit, the golden fire Qrow had seen before following the path of the hit. Qrow remembered what he'd been told. The more fire there was, the stronger he got. Every bit of damage his aura absorbed was just fuel for the flames.

The idiot who slashed at him raised his sword again, Taiyang on his feet to meet it. It scored a line of fire down his aura as Taiyang drew his other first back. His foot stomped on the ground as the punch sailed forward. Mook #1, who was not completely suicidal, tried to block the punch on his weapon. Taiyang's knuckles hit the blade's edge as fire erupted from them, the metal of the sword glowing red before it shattered.

Mook #1 stared down at his useless weapon and back at his foe. "Oh damn."

Taiyang cracked his knuckles before he roared, the bellow worthy of any Grimm. Qrow clapped his hands over his ears just like Barbleue, the sound grating at his eardrums like nails on a chalkboard.

Mook #1 was sent flying with a punch. He landed hard, before Taiyang was on him, hitting him over and over. Colour danced under the first few blows, aura vainly struggling to hold up under the assault. Every blow after it was filled with the sound of wet cracks and gurgling screams.

He couldn't let Taiyang kill him. Taiyang was many things, apparently including being fucking horrifying when pissed, but he wouldn't want 'murderer' to be one of them. Right?

Qrow dug his hand into his pocket and grabbed the first vaguely solid object in there, throwing it Taiyang's head. He realised about a second after it left his hand how fucking dumb throwing his scroll at a mad berserker on a rampage was.

It bounced off fiery blond hair with a quiet little thunk.

Taiyang turned his head slowly, just long enough for Qrow to regret it. Good fucking going, Qrow. You fucking idiot.

Taiyang's normally blue eyes met Qrow's, and he felt a cold chill crawl up his spine. The eyes were hellfire from corner to corner, glowing like torches as black reptilian slits stretched down the centre of the berserker's eyes. A forked tongue ran over sharpened teeth, lapping up Barbleue's blood.

Qrow would have done anything to have his weapon on hand at that moment. Any defence from whatever the _fuck_ Taiyang was. He scrambled backwards, trying to activate his semblance. If he could miraculously learn how to control it, that would be fucking amazing.

He'd kill to have his weapon. Even though in their spars, gunshots and dust rounds were more of an inconvenience to Taiyang rather than a threat. He wondered if they'd have any effect at all now that the berserker was done holding back.

Barbleue had the right idea, taking out his revolver. His left arm was a mess, a chunk in his armbrace where Taiyang had bitten through the toughened leather, deep enough for crimson-white bone to be visible. Navy aura flickered in the wound.

Taiyang took a step towards Qrow as Barbleue took the shot.

The air dust knocked Taiyang back, his fingers gouging deep furrows into the ground as he slowed to a halt, crouched like an animal. A feral growl ripped from his chest, eyes flaring before he stood back up. He cracked his flaming knuckles and changed targets, his attention diverted from Qrow and focusing entirely on the one who shot him.

Barblue panicked and scrabbled for his pouch of dust rounds as he shouted at his other teammate. "Stop him!"

Mook #2 pulled out a baseball bat, cocking it like a shotgun and firing a round of burn dust at Taiyang. Taiyang crossed his arms over his face before he swept them out, the red fire turning the same orange hue as his eyes as he let out another one of those ground-shaking roars.

Qrow saw Barbleue start getting up and tackled him back down, kicking Barbleue's gun away as he did. "No you fucking don't." That bitch hit on Raven. That was Not Allowed.

The two teenagers rolled over the grass, blood and mud staining them both. Qrow dug his bony elbows into squishy parts, head-butted anything that got close to his face, and made sure to leave plenty of bruises. Barbleue was almost as monstrous as Taiyang. He deserved it.

He managed to get a lucky knee into the asshole's gut, slithering around Barbleue until he had the bigger teenager in a chokehold.

"You  _ever_ fuck with my sister again, and it won't be Taiyang that kills you. Got it?" He nodded at the berserker to make his point clear.

Taiyang crashed through another blast of burn dust, the fire clinging to his clothes and dancing in his hair. His hands closed on Mook #2's wrists, wrenching him forward into a cracking head-butt that made Mook #2's helmet ring. The mook head-butted him back.

Taiyang shook his head after the metal cracked against his skull. He huffed smoke and cracked his neck, slamming his head back against Mook #2's face. Mook #2 reeled back, looking a little more gormless than usual. Must have been the brand new concussion.

Taiyang let go of his wrists to let him stumble back, the Mook deciding that maybe his semblance wouldn't be a horrible idea here. He pressed his palms together as a defensive shell formed all over him, like extra armour for his armour.

Taiyang seemed to almost smile at the challenge, or maybe he was just baring his teeth again, it was hard to tell. The next series of strikes were all ones Qrow recognised from their spar, having blocked each jarring hit on his own sword.

There had been restraint in those punches. Not here.

The turtle shell glowed with every hit, little ripples travelling over it as Taiyang slowly began to beat the defensive semblance into a pulp. The teenager underneath seemed like he was stuck in honey, every movement in slow-motion despite or maybe because of his protection. He didn't stand a chance under the blond's assault.

Qrow felt Barbleue start to move, maybe to try use whatever his semblance was, and tightened his chokehold, feeling Barbleue go limp again.

"What the hell is going on here?' The only time he'd been happier to hear Raven's voice was that time a Beringel almost had his arm in its mouth.

"It's Tai!" He yelled back. "Barbleue docked his faunus friend!"

"We know! We just met Oobleck and Glynda!"

"Well, apparently  _someone_ took it personal! He's lost his mind!" A horrible possibility made itself known to him. His semblance.

"Don't come closer!" Taiyang didn't seem to be able to recognise much of anything, and he couldn't risk his bad luck spiking and letting Raven get hurt. He just couldn't.

Raven seemed to get what he was saying and her hand snapped out, grabbing Summer's wrist to prevent their leader from running right to her death. Qrow didn't blame Summer for wanting to stop it though. He didn't want to watch what Taiyang was doing either.

He just couldn't look away.

Aura flickered desperately as Mook #2's semblance gave. Taiyang sensed the new weakness and raked his fingers down Mook #2's face. Lines of scarlet followed the tips of his fingers as he tore off chunks of skin, red splashing on the grass below their feet.

His foot slammed into the other teenager, kicking him clear across the school. Qrow heard the impact, watching the cracks spread up the wall of the CCT. There was a susurrus in the air, the explosive sounds of the fight waking the campus as students and teachers started to come out of the buildings, coming to investigate.

Blood steamed off Taiyang's hands, heat mirages visible over his skin. His eyes fixed on Barbleue, pupils thinning as he snarled. Qrow spat on the back of Barbleue's head and tossed the bastard to the wolf. Or maybe dragon was more accurate.

Served him right. Monsters deserved what they got.

Barbleue had one thing going for him. He could get angry too. He charged, shooting round after round into Taiyang's chest. Each hit caused golden fire to erupt from the impact, speckling him with sunlight as he burned.

Taiyang's sharp teeth gleamed into a deadly grin as he met Barbleue's charge, light trailing from his eyes and smoke twisting from his nostrils. Barbleue's dagger clashed against Taiyang's aura as Summer shrieked. Raven had to dig her heels in to prevent Summer from intervening. Qrow motioned at them to stay back, his own feet shaky as he started to back up.

Claws dug into Barbleue's shoulders as Taiyang opened his mouth, the back of his throat glowing. Qrow's eyes widened as he made the leap in logic of what breathing smoke could lead to, of what all that heat, that  _rage_ , could fuel.

"Tai, don't!" Summer said it before him, but the berserker was too far gone to listen. He doubted Taiyang was even in there.

Hellfire enveloped Barbleue, his scream drowned out by the dragon's roar as sparks of navy aura were visible in the heart of the inferno. The smell of cooking flesh filled the air.

Qrow's stomach gave out right about the same time as his knees, vomit puddling on the grass in front of him.

Taiyang stopped to breathe, ready to continue his onslaught before a chain wrapped around him, yanking him back from the smouldering heap of person that was Barbleue. Qrow looked to the other end of the chain, Summer's entire frame quaking. An opened locker stood behind her, the hood of her white cloak pushed back as her metallic eyes reflected molten gold.

"Taiyang, this isn't you!" Summer pulled on the chain. "You're not a monster!"

The chain began to glow red around Taiyang as he jumped back, ripping the weapon out of Summer's hands and freeing himself.

A bang echoed across the campus and a dust round hit the berserker right in the lower back, the teacher's assistant with the moustache and dumb stories pointing his blunderbuss at Taiyang.

The berserker closed the gap in one pounce, his hands closing on Port's shirt before he spun on his heel, whipping the teacher's assistant around and through the air. Port hit a building, crashed through the wall, and from the sound of it, went through another two after that.

Taiyang's eyes landed on Qrow, on the tail in his hands. He punched his fists together with a bestial snarl, the skin on his hands glowing red-hot as he burned bright as the sun.

Qrow started to scramble backwards, preparing to run.

There was a flash of emerald green, a black cane coming out of nowhere to crack across the back of Taiyang's skull, that same cane moving faster than should be possible to strike the centre of Taiyang's chest in a complicated pattern.

His draconic eyes rolled back in his head as the fire began to flicker and die, the wounded berserker collapsing at Ozpin's feet.

Summer started to cry, disappearing from view and leaving the grisly tableau behind. A faint moan of agony echoed from the charred Barbleue. He was alive, at least. Tough bastard.

Qrow's hands shook as he clutched Oobleck's tail, his own hands stained as red as Taiyang's, who's claws were shrivelling back into normal nails right before everyone's eyes.

Taiyang had blood on his hands too.

Ozpin glanced once at Qrow, at the tail in his hands, and sipped his mug, hazel eyes cold as ice.

* * *

Taiyang had gotten off him at some point during the story, the two boys sitting across from each other as Qrow tried to leave out the parts that made him look scared. Made him look weak.

He glanced surreptitiously at the brawler to gauge his reaction.

So far, 'like someone had killed a puppy in front of him' seemed to be it. Maybe with some 'sheer horror' in there? And what looked like guilt, not that Qrow would recognise what guilt was, obviously.

Qrow trailed off, the oppressive silence weighing him down as he scrambled for something to break it. "I told you that you wouldn't like it."

"Thank you."

Qrow stared at him, slowly raising an eyebrow. "… ' _Thank you'_?" He repeated incredulously.

Taiyang's cheeks colour and he nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "I- yeah, thank you. No one's ever told me what I was like when I black out."

'Black out' sounded really generic and not at all like what happened. "How many times has this happened before, exactly?"

Taiyang froze, eyes wide. "Uh, once before this?"

"What happened then?" Taiyang dropped his eyes, radiating shame. Qrow's teeth caught on the inside of his lip for a moment. Maybe he shouldn't be so blunt? He wanted to know though. Summer would be good at this. Raven… Raven would not be.

So Qrow decided to try and do what Summer might have done. "Tai." He tried to soften his voice a little. "Please."

That got Taiyang's attention, his mouth hanging open as he stared at Qrow. "You said please."

He did his best not to look away. "Yep." It was just as weird to hear himself say it as it was for Tai to hear it.

It seemed to get through to him though. "I, well, I didn't spend my whole childhood in Vacuo. A lot of it, but not all of it. See, my mom is Vacuo-born, and one day she met this merchant. My dad. And then, and I promise this ties into the blacking out thing, when I was about seven, dad decided we should all move back to his home. To Mistral. Little town near the edge of the Kingdom, called Atychia." He scratched the back of his neck. "I, uh, didn't fit in too well."

"Yeah, you're bad at that." Shut up, Qrow.

Taiyang chuckled. It wasn't a happy chuckle. "Nope. I was the scrappy desert boy who hated shoes and always tried to haggle for lower prices in shops. I mean, they didn't treat me badly or anything, just different. People don't like Vacuans. Apparently we're shady."

"You're probably the furthest thing from that."

"Hey, most tourists only meet the people around Shade Academy and the docks, and most locals just like to rip the tourists off."

Qrow nodded. "Okay. We're getting off topic. Back to Atychia."

"Right, yeah." Taiyang drooped a bit. "Atychia. Yeah. Well. People were scared of my mom because she's a big boisterous faunus who doesn't let people boss her around-"

"A faunus?" Qrow interrupted, "your mom's a faunus? But you're human. You are human, right?" Qrow squinted at him like Taiyang was suddenly going to grow a pair of extra ears.

Taiyang laughed. "Yes, I am human. I take after my dad with that one."

"Humans and faunus actually hook up?"

"In Vacuo they do. Don't know about anywhere else. A lot of the kids are faunus though. I'm like, one in twenty or something."

"That actually explains so much about you." No wonder he lost his shit when Oobleck got docked, if he had faunus family.

"Well, mostly. Okay. I was telling you how I discovered my semblance, right?"

"… Right?"

"Well, Mistral's not like Vacuo. In Vacuo, if you're strong enough to survive, you're welcome to be there. Faunus or human, it doesn't really matter as much." He chuckled. it didn't sound happy. "Mistral's way more different. And not in a good way."

"Tai." He was starting to put the pieces together. Faunus, racism, berserker rage, didn't sound like a pretty picture. He wasn't sure he wanted to see the completed puzzle.

Taiyang's voice wobbled like he was about to cry. "The townsfolk rounded up an angry mob. We were asleep and they set fire to the house. My mom got me out, and ran back in to help dad and- the roof caved in and our home was gone. I didn't know how my mom survived it." He clenched his fists, a snarl twisting his features. "And they were  _laughing_." 

Qrow swallowed. He was certain if Tai's aura was back, the berserker's eyes would be that burning orange. 

"I blacked out. I woke up in a cell in the next town over. I'm sure you can guess what I did." Taiyang's next chuckle sounded distinctly wetter. "And all the commotion… it attracted Grimm. The village was overrun."

Pearly tears hit the floor as they fell from Taiyang's cheeks. "And that's the story of how I discovered my semblance. Mom and I went back to Vacuo after that. She trained me in how to use my aura and stuff. I'm fairly certain I'm banned from Mistral now. The Argyris family, they were bigshots in the area, they blamed me for the Grimm, you see."

Qrow blinked at him, uncertain of what to do. How the fuck did someone respond to that?

His mouth was saying words before his brain could catch up with the program. Fucking mouth. "Raven and I never knew our father."

Apparently _that_  was how the fuck someone did respond to that. By trying to one-up the shitty story with another shitty story. What the fuck was he doing? He didn't know anymore.

Taiyang watched him, eyes soft and sad as he waited for Qrow to elaborate. It took him a minute or two. He had to pick the words that wouldn't blow his cover. He had to pick out what the truths he'd say were, and what the lies would have to be.

"Our dad was a pretty important guy. He got- he died. We were too young to remember much of anything. When we got older, Ma decided we were going to be Huntsmen." He slicked his hair back. "So we trained. We got our weapons, found out that aura existed, unlocked ours, learnt our semblances, and went for the entrance exam. You saw Raven's semblance during initiation."

"That portal, right?"

"Yep. She can make a portal to people she has a bond with. So pretty much me."

Taiyang nodded. "So what can you do?"

"You've seen it." To this day he didn't know how young he was when he unlocked his semblance. How much of the bad luck of the Tribe was his, and how long it took them to figure it out.

Taiyang took a minute to process that. "I have?"

Qrow nodded. "Remember when you tripped the day before initiation? Or that rabbit hole that broke your ankle? When we got lost?" More examples came to mind. "Or in our spar, you lost your footing twice? That time you dropped your bag and all your homework in the fountain? Raven losing her whetstone for the third time? When the window was left open and rain soaked everything in the dorm room? When Summer burnt the cookies she wanted to make for us and none of us could eat them?" It was getting a little harder to continue the word vomit from hell. "Or-or when you fell into the ocean and almost died?"

The gears seemed to be turning. Qrow focused on a point about a metre to the left above Taiyang's head. He liked to think that when Taiyang figured it out, Qrow would be able to fall back on verbal barbs and anger so he could stop feeling weak.

A light seemed to go off. "You've been making things happen?"

Qrow shrugged, trying to make it nonchalant. "Yeah. Sorta. My semblance is different to Summer's and Raven's. They activate theirs's on purpose. Even you need to turn yours on, when you don't black out. Mine's different. Mine's always there. Always making things happen, like you said. Never anything good."

"That sounds… fuck, Qrow, that's awful."

"That's me. Always bringing disaster." He tried to make it sound sarcastic. "I guess you can call me a bad luck charm." His chuckle sounded even sadder then Taiyang's.

"Qrow, I-" Taiyang trailed off. It wasn't like there was anything to say anyway.

Qrow looked away, clearing his throat and slicking back his hair. "So now you know. It doesn't matter. Shit happens."

Taiyang hugged him.

What.

Qrow froze, eyes wide. What.

"Uh, Tai, what are you doing?" It was warm, like sitting next to a campfire. If he could ignore the damp that clung to both of them, it felt almost comforting.

"Too far? Sorry." Taiyang let go and scooted back. "Yeah, I don't know what to do here."

"You and me both. Wanna talk about something else and forget this ever happened?"

"Absolutely." Taiyang twiddled his fingers. "Just one more question?"

"This is gonna suck." Qrow rolled his eyes, hastily scraping his defences back together. "Shoot."

"You saved my life."

"That's not a question," Qrow pointed out.

"I want an answer. You saved me."

Qrow pretended to shrug it off. "Well, yeah, no one's that heartless." The Tribe was. Glesni was. Raven was learning how to be. Did Qrow want to be like them?

Taiyang smiled. "Thank you."

Qrow's lips quirked up slightly. "Just don't do it again." Fuck it. Why not? "Partner."

Tai's next smile was the warmth of a roaring blaze, chasing away the winter chill.

* * *

Taiyang walked off the bullhead, hands in his pockets as he looked around for Summer and Raven. He felt lighter than he had since initiation.

"Taiyang!" The bottom dropped out of his stomach as he recognised the bouncy voice. He swallowed, his gaze dropping to his shoes as he turned.

Barty looked terrible. His skin was ashen and pale, making the dark rings under his glasses stand out. His hair was messier than usual, and he was leaning almost all his weight on the crutch under his arm. He wobbled slightly as he did, Glynda's hand reaching out to gently steady him. He sipped his coffee, his hand trembling slightly. His skin was so pale that it was almost translucent. Tai could see the veins under his wrist.

The only thing that made him feel even worse was the sight of the Teacher's Assistant Peter Port beside the two, bandages still visible under his sleeves and a faint twist to his step that spoke of hidden, healing injuries. How badly had he damaged the poor man that his aura was still healing him, even now?

He felt Qrow's elbow dig into his gut and remembered to speak. "Hi, Barty. Mr Port. Glynda." He wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

Glynda took the first steps forward, her heels clicking on the stone before she engulfed Taiyang in a hug. The air rushed out of him in a wheeze as he stiffened in shock. What the heck?

"Thank you. You caught them in the act. Whatever punishment Ozpin would have given them wasn't near what they deserved. If you hadn't done it, I would have. So, good work." She let go and looked him and Qrow over, her nose crinkling as she adjusted her glasses. "And I suppose you helped."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I was involved. I got a few punches in too, just so you know."

Mr Port laughed loudly. "Ho ho! From what I saw, you and Mr Barbleue left quite a few bruises on each other. Are you quite alright, Mr Xiao Long? A hit from my blunderbuss is not something so easily shrugged off. Why, the last time something barely took a scratch from it was when I was not that much older then you! In fact, I remember one of my first missions after graduating Beacon, I was patrolling the outskirts of Vacuo territory when I found myself face to face with the largest Deathstalker you've ever-"

"That's great, no one cares." Qrow cut him off.

Taiyang shrugged. "Sorry, Mr Port."

"It's fine, young chap. Some people just have no appreciation for the truth."

"I'm also sorry for attacking you. I wouldn't have done it on purpose."

Port nodded. "It's quite alright. I understand you were not in your right mind. Now, if you'll excuse is, we have to get Mr Oobleck here to his airship."

Taiyang blinked. "Airship?" He shifted his gaze to Barty.

He smiled and adjusted his glasses. 'Yes, well, due to the circumstances that came about, Headmaster Ozpin and I both deemed it wise for me to spend some time healing up and retraining my proper locomotive functions. It's a little hard to keep my balance without my tail, if you'd believe it."

Taiyang shoved his hands into his pockets. "So, you're leaving?"

"I'm going home, Taiyang. To Menagerie. Mr Port here decided to accompany before he started to exterminate some of the desert Grimm in the area." He sipped his coffee.

Port patted his blunderbuss axe as he boarded the bullhead. "Ha! I have a record to keep, after all. It'll be quite an adventure! I've never been to Menagerie, but if the Grimm are more dangerous there than anywhere else, then it seems like a challenge that might prove worthy of my mighty skills!"

Glynda rolled her eyes, brandishing her riding crop as Oobleck's suitcase landed on the ground. "I believe we had a schedule to keep?"

Barty blurred forward a few steps. "Yes! Precisely! Don't worry, Tai, Headmaster Ozpin has promised me a guaranteed spot here at Beacon should I choose to return next year." He sipped his coffee with a grin. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do once I'm in tip top shape again."

Tai nodded, feeling a small pang in his chest. "Oh. Yeah, that's fair. I hope you get better soon."

Bartholomew adjusted his glasses. "As do I, Taiyang. Be sure to try call me at the CCT, you must keep me updated on your ventures."

Taiyang nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll miss you, though. You better come back next year."

He suddenly had his arms full of hyperactive nerd. "You can count on that, my friend." Barthilomew nodded and stepped back, wobbling a bit before he kept his balance with his crutch.

"Well, tally-ho then. I best be off. Best not to wait for the grass to grow, as they say." He sipped his coffee and blurred by them, leaving a faint after-image behind. Glynda nodded at the two first years and waved her riding crop, the luggage lifting off the ground and trailing behind her in a gentle hover.

Qrow raised a brow as they left. "You know the weirdest people, Tai."

"Guess I'm just lucky." He missed his friend already and tried to think of a conversation that might get his mind off it. "Do you think Summer and Raven are back yet?"

"Odinuim's not as far away as Bright Cap. And we left later than they did." Qrow slouched, hands in his pockets. "They're probably in the dorm or something."

"Can't you call them?"

Qrow stared at him, held up his busted scroll and poured water out of a crack on the side.

"Right. That's unlucky."

"You really like having your nose broken, don't you?"

Taiyang laughed. Maybe things would be easier now.


	8. One, Two! And Through and Through

Qrow hit the ground, Raven’s blade pressing to his throat. “Yay, I win.”

“Be serious, will you?” Raven sheathed her sword and yanked him up to his feet. “You keep treating this like a joke.”

“It’s definitely one of the funnier ones.” He brushed himself off and went to pick his weapon up.

“Have you forgotten why we’re here?” Raven put her hands on her hips, shifting into her lecture stance.

Qrow rolled his eyes. “How could I? We’re here to learn how to kill people better.” He really didn’t want another ‘for the good of the Tribe’ speech. He hated those so much.

“Exactly. We’re here to grow stronger, to learn their ways, and you seem to have forgotten that completely!”

He looked around, the shattered moon overhead and turning the fiery colours of Forever Fall to midnight hues, the silvery moonbeams etching out each leaf as they fluttered gently in the breeze. Raven had dragged him out here for a nightly spar, but now he knew the real reason.

“Like I told you, it’s not a mission I can forget.” Didn’t he have enough blood on his hands from his stupid semblance? Death was full of bad luck.

He knew she was sneering just by the faint scoffing sound she made. “Besides, Rae, I’ve been taking those dumb remedial lessons with Pinhead. That counts as getting strong.” He was definitely a lot less crap with the scythe now. He’d wondered whether Oz actually had practice with the scythe or if he just knew the theory. So of course he’d handed the weapon to the teacher once to make sure he could put his money where his mouth was.

It was quite possibly one of the coolest things he’d ever seen in his life. Seriously, the guy wasn’t headmaster for nothing.

“Brother, did you hear me?”

“Nope,” he grinned at her.  “Sorry, I’m currently tuning out your sycophantic Tribe bull.”

She picked up some of the leaves on the ground and chucked them at him, her cheeks going as red as her eyes. Man, how much annoyance at him had she been holding in? “You immature jerk!”

He laughed at her to piss her off more. “What’s really up, Rae? You’re grumpier then normal. Usually I’d have to needle you way longer for you to throw things at me.”

“You are such an idiot!” She snapped, the hum of her portal forming as she reached through space purely to push him off his feet.

He stumbled back. ‘Is there a reason for this or is it just general stupidity?”

“You need to stop being so friendly with them,” she glared at him, crossing her arms.

“Tai and Summer? I’m not trying to be friendly, I’m just not trying to completely crush their souls.”

“Well, it’s bad for you. You need to stop bothering yourself with them. You and I are a team. That’s all we need, and they’ll just slow us down.”

“Why? I dunno if you’ve seen them, but they’re not half-bad in a fight.”

“That is exactly what’s wrong with you, Qrow. You’re softening. You’re getting distracted. What are you going to do when we go back to the tribe?”

“I’m going to go back as someone that Sanzoku and Mac Morna can’t call a scavenger. Not anymore.” He hated that job. It was the lowest of the low.

“Exactly. You remember what mother told us. You and I will be the Tribe’s heroes, the ones who can take on the Huntsmen who threaten our way of life.”

“So what does me getting along with Summer and Tai have to do with this? What’s so wrong about it?” He knew they’d be going back. He dreaded it.

“Well, what if they are the Huntsmen sent after us? What will you do then?”

“I, uh, well, they won’t be. Remember what Tai said about possibly having a standing ban from Mistral?”

“Don’t dodge the question.” For someone shorter then him Raven sure could be intimidating when she wanted. “If Rose or Xiao Long were sent after the tribe, we would have to kill them. You need to make sure that you can still do that.”

He didn’t want to kill anyone. But he knew the rule. “But they’re strong.”

“And they’re making you weak, little brother.” Raven’s eyes softened as she touched his shoulder. “You need to stop being so friendly. I know that you feel guilty because of what your semblance caused, but it’s Taiyang’s own fault for not knowing how to swim.”

Qrow clenched his fists. “There hasn’t been a single birth where the kid wasn’t stillborn or deformed ever since we were kids, Rae. Are you gonna blame the children? That’s not their fault. It’s mine.” He could keep going about all the disaster he’d brought. Being strong enough to kill Huntsmen might earn him a place that wasn’t bottom of the pack.

“Qrow, get over yourself. So what if things occasionally go bad? Once we return to the tribe with the strength and knowledge they need, we’ll be invaluable. You’ll only bring misfortune to our enemies.”

He crossed his arms. “You think so?”

“Well, you have time to learn how to control it. You’re getting lessons with your scythe, after all.” And just like that, the softness was gone, and the hardcore was back. “Now, draw your weapon. I want to beat you up one more time before tomorrow.”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re excited for it, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I only saw the tail end of Taiyang’s rage. It’ll be interesting to see the full thing.” She pulled out her crimson blade and pointed it at him. “Are you scared?”

“No!” Maybe a little. But more than that, he knew Taiyang hated it. But hey, it was one of the conditions put down by Ozpinhead. Taiyang had to start training his dumb berserker semblance. Qrow had to take remedial lessons with his scythe. When was Raven getting her anti-bitch sessions? “I just don’t know if he’ll even do it. We’ll probably just be sitting up in a tree for hours watching him get batted around by a Grimm pack.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist, little brother.” Their blades clashed in a familiar dance, each of them searching for weaknesses. This was one of the few times Qrow actually tried to make his semblance happen. He just wanted to beat Raven once.

“Shut up, Raven. You’re not funny.” He locked blades with her, but she was stronger. Strength always won.

By the time his weapon was knocked away and his back hit the forest floor, he’d almost forgotten about Raven’s question. Almost, but not quite.

If Taiyang came for the tribe, would Qrow be able to kill him?

* * *

Taiyang pushed open the doors to the CCT, keeping his head down and his shoulders hunched as he made his way towards the elevators. He waited for one to open without any other students in it and stepped inside, nodding quietly at the elevator operator.

“Where to?” The operator smiled brightly, a set of dog ears poking out of a fluffy brown undercut.

“Uh, communications, please?” Taiyang hadn’t been in a CCT before. This was so weird.

“No problem, mind if I just check your scroll for your ID?” The operator held out a hand.

Taiyang nodded quickly. “Oh, yeah, sure, no problem-” he patted his pockets and prayed he remembered it. Jackpot. Hooray. Not _this_ time, Qrow’s semblance. “Here.”

The operator looked it over. “Thank you, Mr Xiao Long. If you’ll just hold on a minute we’ll be at communications in no time.” He handed the scroll back and keyed in the passcode for the elevator.

Taiyang twiddled his fingers and looked the guy over, his gaze zeroing in on the blue and white button pinned to his lapel. “Is that a White Fang badge?” He’d never seen one before.

The guy looked down, one of his floppy ears pricking up. “This? Yeah, I was at a rally last weekend.” He studied Taiyang, this time like he was looking for something. “So… do you have claws or something? Tucked your tail?”

Taiyang blinked. “Oh, uh, I’m human, actually. Sorry.”

“No kidding?” The operator raised a brow. “That’s unexpected. Anyway, this is your stop. If you’ve never used the CCT before, just talk to the lady behind the counter. She’ll patch you in to whoever you want to talk to.”

“Thanks.” Tai smiled at him and stepped out of the elevator, catching the mumble of ‘wait, was that the desert kid?’ behind his back that the operator probably didn’t think he’d hear.

He shook his head and walked up to the reception desk, waiting for the woman on her headset to finish up. She gave him a welcoming smile, pausing in her typing. “Hi, how can I help you today?”

“I’d like to set up a video call to Menagerie? If that’s fine?” He didn’t think the student-issued scroll could handle that.

“Not a problem, if you just go to terminal 2 I’ll patch you through to the Menagerie Communications Hub right away. If you’re trying to contact a specific scroll, just input the number into yours and insert it into the drive.”

He thanked her and walked away, looking for Terminal 2. He hunted for Oobleck in his contacts list, which turned out to be easy when he only had four contacts listed. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he watched the dots load around the central cube, hoping that Bartholomew hadn’t forgotten.

A white line dragged across the screen and opened up, revealing a flyaway mop of green hair and the monitor reflecting in a set of crooked glasses. “Taiyang! Excellent to see you, truly excellent! I’m glad you got my texts, really I am. Have I told you about this new history book set I found?!”

Taiyang leaned away from the terminal a little bit, Bartholomew’s excitement being distorted by the speakers to turn him into something truly cacophonic. “ _A Complete Annotated History of Antiguo Vacuo_ , volumes 1-12?”

“That’s the one!”

He grinned. “Bart, I recommended that to you.”

There was silence for a moment. “… Ah. Yes. Of course. How could I forget?”

Taiyang laughed as he crossed his arms. “So, how’s Menagerie?”

“Well, it’s quite good to be home, I’ll admit.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, practically bouncing in his seat from the effort of keeping still. “Even if Kuo Kuana far too crowded and there’s hardly any space. Peter seemed to like it. He’s here too, although he’s on an extermination mission at the moment. Apparently there’s rumours of a Deathstalker the size of a house that he’s hunting down! A house in Vale, not Menagerie, Menagerie houses are rather small.”

He jumped in at the pause like it hadn’t been a while. “A human in Menagerie. Surprised he hasn’t been kicked out yet.”

“Oh, he was going to be, don’t you worry.” Oobleck sipped his coffee. “But apparently even they’ve heard of his exploits here. The Chieftain sent him out on a one-man mission to exterminate Grimm and expand the habitable territory. He seemed very pleased with it. He’s expected to break the record set by Heather Alcides for most accomplished missions in Huntsman history in a few years, you know.”

“Seriously? The Wonder Woman of Mistral?”

“Oh yes, he’s well on his way to becoming revered alongside the likes of Nicholas Schnee and Violet Helsing. But enough of that, how is Beacon?”

“Beacon is-” Gossip hell. “Really good. Glynda got back, she and her team are back from their third year mission and apparently it went really well, which is good. My teams going on ours soon, I’m kind of hoping we don’t have to do a bounty mission or a search and destroy.” Something different might be nice.

“Oh, you will absolutely have to tell me how it goes, of course. I need to be prepared for when I return to beacon next year!”

Taiyang lit up with smiles. “You’re really coming back?”

“Of course, there’s nothing I would rather be then a Huntsman. I’ve almost completely got my old balance back, and the stump has healed rather nicely. Headmaster Ozpin has stated that he’s ready to resubmit my application forms without any bother at all. He seemed quite contrite about that mishap with Barbleue.”

Taiyang’s eyes threatened to go orange. “Barbleue.” He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. “I- Barty, I need to tell you something.”

“Yes, yes, what?” Oobleck adjusted his glasses.

Taiyang dropped his gaze, huffing smoke out of his nose. “The cops came to arrest your old team on the grounds of assaulting students, I think Ozpin pulled some strings. They got Yertle and Grinch, but Barbleue… when they went to his hospital room, he was gone. Ozpin said they’ll find him, but Vale’s not a small place.”

“And you’re worried about me should I come back?”

“A little bit?”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Taiyang. He’s docked me already, what’s the worst that could happen?” Barty’s hand shook a little bit as he took a swig from his thermos. “If anything, I’d be more worried about you. From what I hear, you did quite a number on the little snot. And Roderick and Nuada. They deserved it, and you gave it to them, I believe.”

From what Qrow said, he absolutely did. “Nah. I’m not worried.” He was the next best thing to unkillable. “If he wants to come after me, let him. It’s not like he could actually hurt me.”

“Yes, of course, your rather peculiar semblance. How has that been going?”

Peculiar was one word for it. “Um… the team’s taking me out to the Emerald Forest later today to try a training session with it.”

“Oh, well don’t let me keep you form that, it sounds like plenty of fun.”

No, no fun, not fun, never fun. “I mean, I don’t have to go right now, really.”

The look Bartholomew shot him over his glasses was chilling. “Taiyang Xiao Long.” He’d never heard Oobleck speak so calmly before. “Are you procrastinating on a task?”

“No?” Apparently Oobleck was using the power of a feline Faunus stare to look into his soul. “I really don’t want to do this.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s important to do, and time is of the essence when it comes to such things, I’m sure.” Oobleck warmed into a grin. “You’ll have to send me a text and see how it goes. My time on this terminal is almost up anyway, thy have a waiting list.”

“Aw. Well, alright. I’ll go give it my best shot.” He smiled at him. “I can’t wait for you to come back. Beacon’s not the same without you, Barty.”

“I can’t wait to be back. Even if I will have to get launched off a cliff again,” Bartholomew chuckled.

“You think that’s bad? Remind me to tell you how the Shade initiation test goes some time, it’s mental. Half the reason I came here in the first place was to avoid it.” Pretty much everyone in Oasis had heard how it went. It was the heart of Vacuo, after all. Everyone knew someone from Shade.

“I’ll hold you to that, Taiyang. I’ll call you again, then. Oh, and say hello to your teammates for me, will you? Especially Summer, she was a very pleasant soul, yes indeed.”

“You got it. Bye, Barty.”

“Goodbye, Taiyang, and good luck with the rest of your day.” The screen went dark again and Taiyang was left looking at his reflection.

He sighed, watching the pupil thin to a slit as fiery orange spread outwards, swallowing up his dark blue irises and leaving him staring into an eye more suiting for a reptile then a human.

He didn’t want to do this.

Tai blinked, eyes going back to their marine blue. That was better. He stood and grabbed his scroll, walking back to the elevator and nodding at the operator with an attempted smile. He wasn’t in much of a mood to talk anymore.

The summer breeze hit him as he stepped outside, still way colder than the sun-baked desert, although there was a faint hint of a bite to it that spoke at the autumn season being closer than ever.

“There you are!” A familiar growl broke him out of his daze, Qrow’s lanky frame slouching its way over to him. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, you jerk! What the hell were you doing here?”

“I was talking to Bart?” He twiddled his fingers, trying to look anywhere but Qrow’s dusty red gaze.

“Oh. Okay, yeah, that’s fair. How is the coffeeholic?”

“Fine. He’s definitely coming back to Beacon next year, which is pretty good.” He could feel people looking at him and tried to make himself even smaller. They had a very large berth around them. He watched another student look up from her scroll, see him, go white in the face, and turn around completely. Ouch.

“That’s cool, I guess.” Qrow smoothed his hair back. “Come on, get your ass in gear, Raven and Summer are waiting for us at the clifftop.”

“Qrow I really don’t want to do this.”

“I know, Tai.” He made a move like he was about to pat Taiyang’s shoulder and then reconsidered. “But old Oz said you need to get control over it. What better way to do that then to go clear out some Grimm? It’s good karma.”

“I’m still not sure about this. Are you guys bringing your weapons just in case I go for you?”

“Yes, mom,” Qrow rolled his eyes. “I notice you’re suspiciously not wearing your usual gloves. No claws?”

“No need. Not if we’re actually doing this.” He listened to the conversations around them, students whispering to each other and shooting him glances. The voices overlapped, different conversations forming a web of gossip. He strained his ears to pick out words, sentences running together as he tried to figure out what the newest thing they were saying about him was.

_“That’s him, right? The first year who went crazy- I bet he’s a Faunus too, he’s just trying to hide it- What did you expect? He’s from Vacuo, after all- Nothing but thieves and scoundrels- Those desert people are all freaks- Ew, what a faunophile- I bet he’s the reason my scroll was missing- What’s the headmaster doing, letting a thing like him walk around-”_

Something touched his shoulder and he jumped, looking at Qrow. The other teenager was looking at him with a raised brow. “You awake in there, Tai?”

“Yeah! Yeah. I just-” he twiddled his fingers. “I was-“

“I know. I hear them too.” Qrow scowled. “Just ignore them, Tai. You don’t need these jerks. They’re only talking shit because they know that you’re the fourth-toughest bastard in the whole school.”

“Fourth? Who’s ahead of me?”

“The rest of the team,” Qrow rolled his eyes. “Duh.”

“I don’t want to be the fourth-toughest person here, though. I just want to be a normal Huntsman.” He crossed his arms under his ribs, hunching over a little bit. “Everyone’s treating me like I got the Red Death

“Anyone who thinks someone with your healing can get sick of a fake plague is an idiot and deserves to be called that. Now will you stop moping and hurry up? Otherwise Raven’s gonna be on your ass for being late.”

“Is it just me or has she gotten meaner?”

“It’s hard for me to tell, she’s always acted like a half-faced Beringel with distemper.”

Taiyang chuckled. “Have you ever told her that?”

“Obviously. She’s my sister, if I didn’t call her names that means something’s wrong.”

“You Branwens are weird, you know that?”

“You’re just mad because she pushed you in the gym’s pool last week.” Qrow smirked at him.

“I nearly died! Who the hell just pushes someone in?”

“But you know how to swim now, right?”

Taiyang lightly shoved him. “You were no help.”

Qrow laughed. “You really wanted my help? You’d probably have just drowned faster that way.” He dodged a swipe from Taiyang and punched him back in the side.

“Can’t I just teach you more hand-to-hand instead of doing this? That punch was almost decent.”

Qrow flipped him off. “You’re doing this. Keep walking.”

Taiyang sighed and saw Summer and Raven waiting for them, Summer’s hood pulled up as she hid under her cloak and Raven waiting with her hands on her hips. He clenched his fists to stop them from shaking and waved at the two. It wasn’t the time to be scared. He had to do this. He told Ozpin he didn’t want to be kicked out.

“Took you long enough.” Raven smirked wickedly at him, ruby eyes glinting. “Were you talking to your boyfriend?”

“Sure was. He’s doing good, by the way.” Taiyang smiled at Summer. Not Raven. “Bart says hi.”

“Oh. Hi?” Summer smiled shyly at him.

“Are we going to keep dawdling?” Raven snapped irritably, tossing her hair as she started along the path to the Emerald forest. “Hurry up! We have things to do and I don’t want to have to bother myself with Tai-Tai’s problems any more than necessary.”

“No one asked you to come,” he muttered and followed her.

She shot him a glare. “Well, since we’re such _good friends_ now, why wouldn’t I?”

“I didn’t even put treacle in your hair, Rae, what’s got your knickers in a twist?”

“We have a job to do, so let’s do it and get it over with!” She stomped down the path and left them no choice but to follow.

They still held back a few paces.

Summer wrung her hands together under her cloak. “I don’t get it. We were doing so well against Jack. I thought we could have finally been friends.”

“Raven wouldn’t know what friendliness was if it danced naked in front of her and bit her on the nose,” Qrow stretched his arms, linking them behind his head.

“I can hear you, you know!” She barked back at them. “And to answer your question, Rosie, I agreed to listen to you in combat _if_ you have something worth listening to. Aside from that, I’m not going to even bother my time with someone like you.”

Summer flinched. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Taiyang glanced at Qrow and saw him opening his mouth to make another comment. He elbowed him lightly. “I wouldn’t,” he hissed quietly.

“I’m her brother, if anyone’s supposed to give her ego a few pokes, it’s me,” Qrow replied at the same volume.

“Please don’t?” Tai blinked at him. “It’s not worth a fight, is it?”

Qrow raised a brow and shrugged, eyes softening slightly. “Sure. Whatever. Only because you’re the one who’s about to be tossed to a Grimm pack.”

“Call it my last request.” He really didn’t want to do this.

* * *

“I don’t know what else we were expecting.” Raven crossed her arms, Summer’s hands clasped over her mouth as Qrow stomped out the flames on the leaves below him. It didn’t work, obviously, and instead the fire got a lot bigger.

“Crap.” He hopped back to leave the flames alone and looked around at the devastation. “Yeah, okay, Raven’s right, this shouldn’t be surprising.” Ravenous Grimm plus Qrow’s shitsuck semblance plus Taiyang’s special brand of pyromania meant that there was no way something wasn’t gonna end up alight at the end of this.

Summer’s hands were still covering her mouth. “It just went up. Fwoosh.”

“I mean, it’s summer, everything’s dried out, of course it would go up like kindling.”

“Fwoosh.”

“Do you think Pinhead would give us detention for this or will we get away with it ‘cause it’s Tai?”

“Ha, they’d have to pin it on us first. If they try I’ll deny it.”

“I think they’re going to have a pretty fair idea it was us, Raven. Taiyang’s the only guy in school with a semblance that has anything to do with fire, I’m pretty sure.”

“Then we blame him and he takes the punishment. It’s not like it wasn’t his fault anyway.”

“Fwoosh.”

“Rose, will you get over it? It’s just a wildfire, and it’s all fairly settled now. Everything’s fine.”

“We burnt down a forest, Raven, that doesn’t count as fine.”

“Whatever. Let’s just find Taiyang and leave. I think we can safely call this a failure.”

 “Well, I mean, he only hurt Grimm this time, that’s better, right?”

“Shut up, Rose.”

“Eep!”

Qrow dragged his hand down his face. “Okay, Raven, how about you go find us the quickest way back and Summer and I will go find Tai.”

She scoffed. “Fine. But only because I can’t be bothered carrying him back.” She strode off, embers and ash swirling up as they were disturbed by her steps, burnt leaves crackling under her heels.

Qrow huffed a sigh and glanced at where Summer had been standing. “You can go vis now, Rose. Did you see which way Tai stumbled when he started to burn out?”

“That way,” a disembodied voice answered before she reappeared, pointing off to where the destruction was a little less intense.

Qrow picked his way around razed tree stumps and fallen logs, Summer scurrying to keep up. A flash of pale gold caught his eye and he zeroed in on it, recognising it as Taiyang’s blond hair.

Drifts of smoke still spiralled off the other teenager from where he was passed out in a pile of cinders. Qrow picked up a nearby stick and poked him in the side, soot coming off on his palm. There was no reaction.

He wiped his palm clean on his trousers, getting most of the black off. “He’s passed out, don’t worry about it. He probably used up all his aura doing that.”

“How are we going to get him back to the school?” Summer fiddled with the clasp of her cloak.

“No idea.” Qrow shrugged and cracked his neck. “Maybe if I carry him on my back? I got aura to spare, and it should be fine.”

“That should work. I can keep an eye out for Grimm.” Summer toed one of the charred stumps beside hr. “Well. If there’s any around after that.”

“Yeah. Alright.” Qrow picked him up with a grunt. “Holy crap, he’s heavy. What do they feed them in Vacuo?”

“Maybe- maybe when Raven gets to the school she can make a portal to you? That way we don’t have to carry him as far?”

“Yeah, and pigs will fly.” Qrow chuckled and started walking. “Raven’s all about misery building character.”

“Oh.” Summer followed, _Meteora Bloom_ in its axe form as she held it ready. “I hope he’s alright when he wakes up. He was unconscious for a while last time.”

“He’ll be fine, who cares?”

“Do you think he’ll be awake in time for our mission?” Summer looked like she had no idea what she was saying. Fucking same.

“Sure, yeah, whatever. Another mission, yay.” He was almost certain that the separate missions thing wasn’t actually allowed.

“I was thinking maybe we could do village security? It might be nice to go out and help a small town?”

He held back a shudder. Village security. Raven had told him about students from Haven who had done that for towns the Branwens had tried to take. It was the only thing that could turn back a raid. Even worse, it usually got a Huntsman looking for the camp.

“How about literally anything else? Perimeter defence sounds like the most boring thing in the world.”

“You- you think so?” She reappeared, silvery eyes large and confused.

“Duh. I mean, it’ll just be three days of us sitting in a town waiting for something to happen before we get called back. Boring.”

“But- most missions are put up only when there’s been an actual threat identified or people need help, wouldn’t that mean they need us out there?”

“Yeah, a team of four kids who don’t know anything about being Huntsmen, that is exactly what a small town with a Grimm problem needs.”

“Oh… I didn’t think of it that way.” She hid behind her hair, pulling her hood further up with one hand as she held _Meteora Bloom_ in the other. “I’d rather not do a bounty mission, like when Raven and I went after the Ripper. Maybe instead of village security, we could do perimeter defence? Or search and destroy?”

“Do we even have a choice in the matter?”

“Well, yes, we get to pick our mission, although it’s going to be restricted based on the danger level? And we’ll have a fully trained Huntsman with us too. Cool, right?” She was looking at him hopefully. He wondered why. It wasn’t like they talked.

“Sure, yeah, cool. Whatever.” He watched her deflate. How did Raven do it so easily? “So if you want to do a search and destroy or village security, does that meant you want someone to be in trouble?”

“No no no, that’s not it at all!” She fluttered her hands nervously, which was a lot more alarming when one of those hands was carrying a double-bladed axe that still looked too big for the tiny girl.

He stepped to the side to avoid the weapon and eyed her, shifting Taiyang’s weight. He really hoped the blond wasn’t drooling on his shoulder or something. He was actually snoring, if that was what the little whiffles near Qrow’s ear were. Even Taiyang’s snores were soft. “So what is ‘it’?”

“I don’t want people in trouble.” Most of her face was hidden by hair and the shadow of her snow white cloak, but from what he could see her pale cheeks were practically glowing pink. “If there’s no missions for Huntsmen, that’s good, right? It means people are safe.”

“I guess?” Or they were too dead to request missions but if she wanted to see the world as sunshine and moonbeams, go her. He’d let Raven puncture _that_ particular happy bubble.

“Well, I want to help people. So that one day, there won’t be any missions. But until then, when there are, I want to take them so that I can try make things better.” She smiled shyly at him, the bridge of her nose still painted with colour.

He raised a brow. That was so dumb, so optimistic, so- so- he actually wanted to vomit. “Really.”

“Um… yes?” She started to fade into transparency.

“Don’t ever tell Raven that. Otherwise you’ll never be able to think like that again.”

“What?” Summer looked shocked, the eye not hidden by her hair wide and full of her silly naiveté. “Why? Don’t you want to help people too? Isn’t that why we’re all here?”

“Listen, Summer. Here’s a piece of advice for the real world. Whenever anyone, anywhere, asks you to do something, literally everyone is going to step back and go ‘what’s in it for me’. You got that? No one ever _just_ wants to help people. There’s always a motive.” He wondered what Tai’s was.

Summer looked down, holding her weapon in both hands and looking like a scolded schoolgirl. He guessed that she pretty much was. “Oh…”

“Yeah.” She looked real fucking sad. “It’s a, uh, nice ideal though, I guess. Make sure it doesn’t get you killed.” Raven really would hit him if she saw how nice he was being. Maybe he should be extra friendly to Summer and Taiyang, just to really grind her gears.

He kept walking, waiting until he heard the soft crunch of leaves and the rustling sound of Summer’s cloak drifting over the ground, looking back to see her following him.

She took at least two steps to every one of his, her grip tight on her weapon as she tried and failed to hide the nervous glance she shot at him. Yeah. He didn’t know how to keep up a conversation after that either.

She opened her mouth a few times like she was about to speak before she paused, rethought what she was saying, and then tried again. And again. And finally- “So… Um…”

“Can we just walk in silence?” Qrow rolled his eyes. This would be painful to listen to and he was going to stop it immediately.

“Oh, um, yes, sorry.” Summer shrank back out of his sight, her cloak billowing around her before even that was invisible. Qrow held back a sigh as he shifted Taiyang’s weight again. Summer was great in a fight, they’d all sparred enough to know that, but she was fucking useless everywhere else. Raven was right about that. He wondered what else she was right about.

It _was_ weird, though. A leader who could barely talk louder than a whisper, special missions, letting Taiyang stay after he’d mutilated three people, remedial scythe training? Something strange was going on. Maybe he could start trying to figure out what.

* * *

The shattered moon hung low in the night sky, casting silver over the streets of Vale. Moonbeams filtered through the cracked windows, dust motes floating through the light and hanging in the air. The warehouse was quiet, alive with bodies but silent as the dead.

She slipped in through the door, her cottontail twitching as she checked her pocket watch. Not a second too late. She mustn’t be late.

She hurried around the still forms of the workers, quickly climbing up to the second flight of stairs where her boss was waiting for her report. She grabbed the gilded knocker and rapped out the code, her foot thumping nervously.

“Enter.”

She immediately obeyed the command, pushing open the door and stepping from a dusty old warehouse into a lavish office, a plush black carpet under her shoes and a fore crackling merrily in a grate. More than half the room was taken up by a large desk, the wood lacquered to a high finish. There was a game of solitaire being played on the surface of the desk.

“Henlein.” The player looked up to her with golden eyes, her auburn hair tied in an elaborate up-do as she sat in a massive chair that was designed more like a throne than anything else. Gold and rubies hung from her neck, every scarlet gem carved perfectly into the shape of a love-heart. “Are you back from Odinium already?”

“Yes, Miss Hart.” She held up her pocket-watch, tapping the clock face. “As you can see, I’m exactly on schedule.”

“Yes, yes,” Hart waved a hand dismissively before her eyes lit up with childish excitement. “Where’s my Ripper? Does he have more hearts for me?” She clapped her hands in excitement.

Henlein winced, stowing her pocket-watch back in her waistcoat. “I’m afraid I have some bad news about that, Miss Hart.”

“Bad news?” Hart’s posture straightened as she eyed the Faunus menacingly. “Explain yourself.”

“Well. You see,” her cottontail twitched nervously. “Blut was apprehended by a pair of Huntresses. They turned him over to the local police force. He was sent to Vale Maximum Security on account of his unlocked aura. He wasn’t able to fulfil his quota.”

“Someone arrested my Ripper?!” Hart’s hands slammed down on her desk, sending her deck of cards flying every which way. “How _dare_ they! I want them found! Executed! I insist on it!”

“I- yes, of course, ma’am.” She errantly flicked non-existent dust off her waistcoat out of habit. “If it helps, I do have a name for one of them?”

“What name?” Hart muttered petulantly, smoothing down the front of her dress.

“Summer Rose. I was able to do a little digging. She’s a first year at Beacon Academy.”

“Beacon. Of course. Any Huntsmen in Vale wouldn’t bother to waste their time with us, if I haven’t paid them off. But a student? So righteous and noble. Of course one of them would cause trouble.”

“I, well, I have a cousin who works as a cleaner at Beacon. She says that the first years have their missions coming up.”

“Really?” Hart’s golden eyes glinted like the rubies on her throat. “Well. Perhaps the little Huntress and her partner should have a… tragic accident.”

“Would you like me to make it happen, ma’am?”

“Yes. And send the Queens in before you leave, will you? I want my Ripper back and I want him back now.”

“Of course, Miss Hart.” She turned to leave, her hand on the doorknob.

“Oh, and Wynn, dear? If you fail, it will be your head on the chopping block. Not just Summer Rose’s. Do you understand me?”

Henlein winced at that, her tail twitching again. “Of course, ma’am. I’ll have it done.”

“Good, good. Now hop along, little rabbit.” Hart waved a hand dismissively. “You wouldn’t want to be late.”

Henlein nodded and left, allowing herself a smile as she checked the time on her pocket-watch. The only person who could be referred to as such would be the soon-to-be late Summer Rose, and her scarlet-eyed partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this, we move from Arc 1, The Beginning of the Beginning, and into Arc 2, The Fall Down the Rabbit Hole. Thank you for reading this far, I hope that you enjoy everything that comes next. 
> 
> I'd also like to give a shout out to BenevolentErrancy for their amazing pieces of art work for this, go check out their blog, it's great. Their artwork is fantastic.   
> https://benevolenterrancy.tumblr.com/post/178154553236/it-was-warm-like-sitting-next-to-a-campfire-if  
> https://benevolenterrancy.tumblr.com/post/178201940196/okay-last-piece-for-our-carefree-lives-by


	9. Card Castles

Summer flicked through _Weapons Weekly_ as she waited for Taiyang to wake up, sitting beside his bed in their dorm. They decided not to bring him to the medical bay. No one really liked it there anyway.

She heard him start to wake up and made a note of her page, promising to herself to read the article on variant ballistic chain-scythes later. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and watched him carefully, making sure that when he woke up, it wouldn’t be with fire and claws and snake eyes.

She hoped that wasn’t a rude description. Did he have a preferred term? She should ask. But what if that was rude too?

“Summer?” She barely stopped herself from squeaking and disappearing at the sound of Tai’s voice.

“Yep?” There was still a squeak. “Yes, it’s me. Are you okay?”

Tai blinked at her and brought up a hand, clutching his head. “Ugh. Where are we?” His blue eyes were muddled with sleepiness and confusion as he looked around.

“We’re in our dorm. You’ve been asleep for almost a day now.” It was better than sleeping for four days, honestly. She shifted forward slightly, hesitating before she lightly took his hand. “Are you okay?”

His hand was a lot warmer than hers. “My head. Feels like someone took a jackhammer to my brain.”

“Oh, do you need painkillers?” She reached over to check his temperature, but he was so naturally warm that she couldn’t tell what was meant to be a fever or not.

“No, I’m good. It’ll pass.” He sat up, looking around the room again with much more alertness then before. “Okay. Tell me what happened.”

“You don’t remember?”

“I remember everything up to the moment that Ursa Major got it’s jaws on me, then it’s all red. Then nothing.” He seemed extraordinarily calm about having been in the jaws of a Grimm. She’d have nightmares if it was her.

“Well, a lot of Grimm are dead, which is never not good. And we’re not hurt. I promise.” She watched tension fall out of his shoulders as he sighed in relief. She wouldn’t tell him that he’d started a mild forest fire. He was better off not knowing for now.

“Good. That’s good. So, where are Qrow and Raven?”

“Qrow’s got scythe training. Raven said she’s going to get more dust for her weapon.”

“I don’t know what you said to her on your training mission, but I’m glad she’s actually going to use her dust blades for more than just occasionally zapping us when she happens to pull out some lightning dust.”

“It wasn’t much, really. It’s just, neither of us use dust, and it’s kind of limiting, honestly.”

Taiyang rubbed his forehead. “You’re telling me. I was almost useless against the Bone-tip until it came close. Qrow was the only one who had any range.”

Summer bit her lip. “I, uh, may have a solution?”

Taiyang’s gaze locked on hers as he beamed sunnily. Just his smile made her feel a bit warmer. It was nice. She smiled back. “Okay. So, I was thinking maybe we could put a chamber in your weapon for dust rounds? I know with your fighting style, you like palm strikes, so maybe we could have it on the underside of your wrist?”

He did one of those palm strikes, the tops of his fingers curled down into claws. “Maybe. A straight punch might hinder it, but a lot of the time when I have the claws extended I can’t do those anyway.” He started nodding. “Yeah I can see it. What about you?”

“Me?”

“Your weapon. Are you going to try give it some range?”

“Well,” her hand ducked to her thigh, where Meteora Bloom was holstered. “Maybe? I mean, I have a lot of range on my chain, and only one of the ends has the axe blades. The other stores the chain. I can’t think of any way to improve it right now.” She was always thinking about it, but she couldn’t figure it out.

“It’ll come to you. You’re pretty clued in, Summertime.” He squeezed her hand. “So. A day.”

A day? She blinked in confusion before she remembered the whole reason he was here. “Oh, yes, your semblance! A day. Yep. What does that mean?”

“It means that even if I plan on kicking off, once I burn out I’m useless after. And I still don’t know the exact switch for that amount of power. I mean, I know that it’s all tied to my anger, which sucks. But now apparently it’s also a cumulative amount of damage, considering I took a lot of hits before it happened, but the other times, I wasn’t hurt at all.”

“But… people you loved were.” She watched his pupils narrow to slits, a clear indicator that his aura was back and his rage was starting to simmer. She wondered what it was like to be always on the verge of fury.

“People I loved. Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I won’t be able to kick off on our first-year mission. I’m too unpredictable, and after I’ll be dead weight on you guys.”

“That’s okay, Tai. We all know that semblances can be tough to control. I still disappear by accident. No one’s asking you to figure it out overnight.”

“Thanks, Summer,” he smiled. “Besides, it’s still all good. Now I know a little bit more about what sort of damage it takes to get to that point. I didn’t have that before.”

“Well, I’m glad that we got some good stuff out of everything then.” She moved to sit next to him on the bed, hoping she wasn’t pushing too many boundaries. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she stiffened slightly before relaxing. He was like a furnace. It was nice.

“Are you worried about the mission too?”

She nodded. “Of course I am. I mean, what if I pick the wrong mission for us? What if I mess up while we’re on the field? What if something goes wrong?” She was the team leader. She had to be responsible for all of them.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I mean, we don’t have to do a combat mission, you know. There’s always perimeter defence. It’s not the most thrilling option, but maybe a couple of days patrolling the edge of Vale might do us all some good.”

“I think Raven would kill us both if we did something like that.”

“Yeah, it’s probably beneath someone of her skill level.” She could practically hear Taiyang rolling his eyes. “Well, there’s other options too. Search and rescue? We could go find missing supplies or people. That’s also really useful. Or village security? Nothing wrong with helping people, it doesn’t all have to be killing Grimm and catching crooks.”

Summer shivered at the thought of that plain face. Unless she looked into Jack’s eyes, she’d never have seen just how terrifying he was. “I don’t want to go catching crooks for a while.”

“Then we won’t. Don’t worry about it.” He tugged her a little closer at her shiver of fear. “There’s plenty of options. Besides, we won’t be alone.”

Summer nodded slightly, a tiny smile forming. “Yeah. We’ll have a proper, fully-trained Huntsman with us. It’ll be really cool. I’ve seen all the Vytal Tournament matches, but never a graduated pro in action.”

“It’ll be awesome. We could really learn a lot from them.”

She decided to do something daring and rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth he radiated. “Definitely. Maybe being out on a mission might help the twins too? Maybe we’ll all become a better team after.”

“Bonds forged in fire and stuff?” He grinned at her.

“Hopefully not too much fire. After all, I won’t graduate if I die.”

“Please, if anyone here’s gonna die, it’ll be me when Raven murders me in my sleep.”

She couldn’t help a laugh at that. “She’s not going to murder you.”

“But are you certain?”

“Of course I am,” she chuckled. “Raven’s got a few rough edges, but she’s not a murderer. None of us are. After all, we’re all here to make the world a better place. That’s not what murderers do.”

Taiyang took a moment to smile back. “Sure, Summertime. You’re right about that.”

* * *

“Rae?”

“What do you want, Qrow?” She drew the whetstone over the edge of her blade, careful to keep her aura off so she didn’t agitate the dust.

“Your weapon. What do you think about it?” He sat across from her, their usual amount of distance somewhat more pronounced after another training session.

She flicked her red eyes to his paler set, noticing the stiffness of his posture. “Did I really hit you hard enough that your aura can’t take care of your ribs?”

“It’s a bruise, Raven. It’ll be gone in a few hours. And that wasn’t an answer.” He fidgeted with the sheathed form of his weapon. “It’s been what, four years since we found them?”

“About that, yes. And to answer your question, I still think that the use of dust blades is too gimmicky. It’s too hard to get dust that aren’t rounds back home, especially if I have to forge new blades, and it makes the blades slightly more fragile. And I have to be careful working with them, unless I want to actually activate the dust. Why?”

“I was just curious.” He had something on his mind, obviously. She scoffed and returned to her work. She’d picked it because the blade had looked familiar to the ones Sanzoku used, rather than Mac Morna’s weapons. 

 “Do you ever think about the one who owned your weapon before?”

Raven nearly crushed the whetstone in her grip and set it aside, placing the blade back in the revolving sheath. She leaned forward slightly, resting her hands on her knees as she stared into her twin’s soul. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

He looked away, playing with an old coin he’d found somewhere. Who even used coins anymore now that Lien was the standard currency. She watched him dance the shiny metal disc over the backs of his fingers and gritted her teeth.

“Don’t you dare go silent on me, idiot. Answer my question before I have to beat the answer out of you. Don’t think I won’t.”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “It’s a simple question. Do you ever think about who owned your weapon before you did?”

“No, I don’t. Because they don’t matter. All that matters is they died, and I have their blades. Their incredibly impractical dust blades.” She grabbed his wrist, the coin he was playing with falling to the ground. “Do you think about it? Is that why you’re asking?”

“Sometimes, I guess?” Qrow looked away from her.

Raven ground her teeth together. “Qrow Branwen, you listen to me right now. You need to stop caring about that. I told you to stop bothering with Taiyang and Summer, and you didn’t listen, but listen to me now. That Huntress doesn’t matter. She’s dead. You’re not. You have the weapon.”

Qrow ripped his wrist free, unbalancing Raven as she fell over and hit the ground. She hated her brother’s semblance.

“I should have figured you’d say something like that.”

“Stop being soft, you weakling.” She picked herself up, red eyes sparking with fury. She was going to kill him for that.

Qrow stood and sheathed his weapon to his back, wisely taking a few steps away from his enraged twin. Raven scowled and grabbed her blade, cutting the air above her. She took a step to the side as the portal opened under Qrow’s feet.

He yelped as he fell through, landing on his backside before the portal closed with a faint hum. Raven pointed her sword at his eye.

“Get up. We’re not done sparring. You’re acting pathetic and childish.”

Qrow scowled at her and grabbed his coin, shoving it in his pocket. “You’re the one throwing a temper tantrum, you realise that, right?”

“Get your blade out, Qrow. I’m done letting you carry on like this. You need to toughen up.”

“And you need to get a grip.” Qrow crossed his arms. “I’ve been thinking-”

“I didn’t realise you could do that.”

“Shut up. I’ve been thinking, why do we even care anymore?”

Raven cocked her hip and eyed him, waiting for him to elaborate before she shot down whatever idiocy this was.

“I mean, the Tribe can’t come get us here. Not unless you specifically open a portal to them. And we’re not going back over the breaks, as we decided. So… why bother? They’re not here and we’re not there. We can do whatever we want. No consequences.”

Raven gaped at him. “Are you seriously suggesting we turn our back on our mission?”

“No? Not really?” Qrow looked at the ground. “I mean, we’re here to get stronger. We’re doing that. Mission’s being done. But we have four, three and half years for that. Without needing to go anywhere near home. So why can’t we do what we want while we’re here? Summer and Taiyang aren’t that bad.”

“That’s only because they don’t know who we are and what we’ve done. If they did, they’d never accept us.” She held her head high, trying to be proud of the fact.

Qrow flinched back at that, guilt swirling in his dusty red eyes. “I- I mean- maybe they would? We all accepted Taiyang…”

“His circumstances are different. He has no control over himself when he goes berserk. You and I have always been in complete control. Well, your semblance aside.”

Qrow’s shoulders slumped. “Shit. You’re right.”

“I’m always right.” Seeing her brother look so hopeless and pitiful was never quite the victory she always hoped it would be when she set out on knocking some sense in him. He was such an idealist.

Raven huffed and patted his hand once. “Just keep things to yourself, Qrow. Then they have no reason to dislike you. Things will be fine.”

He smiled slightly. “Thanks, Rae.”

She rolled her eyes and pulled her sword out again. “Don’t mention it. Ever.”

Qrow chuckled. “What’s wrong, raven? Don’t want the world to know you got a heart?”

“Do you want me to break your ribs, Qrow? Because this is how you get me to break your ribs.” She felt heat flare in her pale cheeks and hated it. Qrow was so annoying.

But he was right. At least a little bit. They only went back to the tribe when Raven decided they would. She had the control. The power. She should have realised it sooner. Even that much power was a little intoxicating.

Qrow laughed again. “Okay, Raven. I won’t tell anyone you got a soft side for me. Even if that’s basically what your semblance is.”

She scoffed at him. “The bond is just because we share blood. I won’t make one with everyone else.” Not that she wanted to. Qrow was all she needed here. If she had a portal to anyone else on her team, it would just be pointless. All she needed was Qrow. She didn’t want to make a portal with the others either.

“Won’t?”

“Can’t.”

Qrow crossed his arms. “You have a bond with Glesni, and she’s not blood.”

“Glesni’s our mother, of course I have a bond with her too. Yours is just useful.”

“Glesni’s not our mother. Our mother was Rhiannon.”

“She’s as good as, Qrow. I don’t understand why you’re so touchy about her.”

“Same reason you’re so defensive.” Qrow sneered at her. She glared back. So what if Glesni played favourites with them? Raven played favourites too.

She’d just never tell Qrow that. He had enough of an ego as it was.

* * *

Taiyang took a deep breath before they entered the auditorium, the slowly dispersing crowd turning to look at the first-year team. Summer squeaked and turned invisible as she hid behind him, while Raven had Qrow by the scruff of the neck. Taiyang realised she still had leaves in her hair and decided to let Qrow point that one out.

It was his fault they were late anyway.

Taiyang waved once and forced down the nerves that clawed at his throat. He was about to say something when he decided nope, no, not point in doing that. People already thought they were the weird team.

Summer slowly came back into visibility. “I can’t believe we missed the speech,” she pulled her hood further over her face.

 Raven roughly tugged Qrow’s shirt so he was down at her eye level. “Well it’s all his fault. You and your worthless semblance.”

Qrow, who up until that point had been somewhat docile about his sister manhandling him, came to life at that, twisting out of her grip and shoving her back. “Fuck off, Raven. Not like you were any help.”

Tai raised his hands half-heartedly, glaring at Raven for the crack she made. It wasn’t funny. “Guys, can we hold off on this until after we choose our mission?”

Raven and Qrow glared at him, glared at each other, and glared away with twin huffs, both of them crossing their arms in tandem. “Fine!”

Summer smiled gratefully at him and walked over to one of the mission boards. “Search and Rescue, Search and Destroy, Perimeter Defence, Village Security, Bounty, Escort missions… so many options. What do you guys want to do? Maybe not Bounty?”

“Why not Bounty?” Qrow raised a brow.

Summer shrugged, fiddling with the clasp of her cloak. “I just don’t think I want to fight another murderer any time soon.”

“Well Perimeter Defence sounds boring. I don’t want to do one of those.”

Taiyang glanced at Raven. “I also think we should not do an Escort mission. Considering, well,” he jerked his thumb at the twins, “them.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Raven was really ramping up the fury. “Are you saying we won’t be capable of it?”

“Oh, you’re well capable,” Taiyang wondered whether he was being brave or if he was just annoyed that she’d made a jab at Qrow’s semblance when she knew better than anyone he hated the damn thing, “it’s just your personality that sucks.”

“Um, guys, maybe we shouldn’t fight?”

“Do you have a problem with me, snake eyes?” Raven put her hands on her hips, filling the room with menace even though Taiyang towered over her.

He couldn’t help a flinch at the nickname. “I-” He looked at Summer and Qrow. She was concerned. Qrow winked at him. Taiyang took a deep, calming breath, counted to ten in his head then did it again just to make sure, and his voice was blessedly measured when he talked. “No, I don’t. Let’s just pick a mission.”

Summer nodded and scrolled through the mission board. “So no Perimeter Defence and no Escort and no Bounty. We could do Village Security? Search and Destroy? Mountain Glenn always needs securing, honestly. But that’s probably above our skill level… They’d want third years and up, I’d guess.”

“What about that one?” Qrow tapped Summer’s shoulder. She let out a small ‘eep’ and disappeared.

Taiyang looked at the mission Qrow stopped her on. “Search and Destroy, quadrant two, high Grimm activity, mission starts one day from now. Sounds simple enough. We can clear Grimm.”

“I have no doubts you can.” Taiyang nearly jumped out of his skin when headmaster Ozpin stepped around from behind the mission board, clutching his ever-present mug.

“Headmaster Ozpin!” Taiyang clutched his heart from where it nearly burst out of his chest in shock.

Ozpin twinkled silently and sipped his drink. “Mr Xiao Long, Miss Rose, Mr and Miss Branwen. I noticed you were late.”

“Sorry, headmaster. We took a few wrong turns on our way from the dorms.” Summer reappeared and clutched at the hem of her skirt. Taiyang twiddled his fingers and nudged Qrow, who rolled his eyes and faked a guilty expression.

Ozpin chuckled warmly. “Well, I suppose it happens to the best of us. Better you lose your way here rather than out there.”

Summer giggled nervously. “Yes, professor, I guess that’s right.”

“Sorry we missed your speech.”

“It happens. It wasn’t very interesting anyway.” He adjusted his glasses. “In light of recent events of this year,” Taiyang’s hands trembled and he shoved them in his pockets. Recent events. “I thought it prudent to discuss the Faunus Rights Revolution rather than the Great War, as was the usual custom when I was a student. Although I assume it must seem like ancient history to you either way.”

Taiyang wanted to disagree, but that might seem rude. “I- uh, I guess.” He noticed Raven was eying him and really hoped that they could not get into that.

“Unlike most of the first year teams, the four of you have experience in the field. Use this mission to hone that experience and improve on it. Listen to your Huntress at all times. If she finds your skills lacking, she can and will have you sent back to Beacon.”

Taiyang gulped at that. His skills. All he was good at was close-quarters, he didn’t even have a ranged option. What was he thinking?

Qrow yawned loudly. “Yeah, great, thanks for the ominous warning, prof. Now can we just get this over with? We’re gonna miss lunch othe- ow!”

Summer lifted her foot from where she’d stomped hard on Qrow’s instep. “What he means to say, professor, is that we really value your insight. We won’t let you down.”

“I’m sure you won’t, Miss Rose,” Ozpin smiled at them. “Good luck.” There was an unspoken ‘you’ll need it’ in there.

Taiyang waited for Ozpin to leave and pulled his hands out of his pockets, fingers trembling badly. “That was…”

“Cheerful.” Qrow rubbed his foot. “Summer, that hurt!”

“Don’t mouth off to professors then and I won’t do it.”

“Hey, he’s the one teaching me how to use the damn scythe on this, if anyone can snark at him, it’s me.”

Raven laughed. “I thought he was going to beg us not to burn down wherever this mission is, considering Tai Tai keeps incinerating his forest.”

Qrow elbowed Taiyang in the side. “Don’t worry, he jibes me enough for that already. Why bother repeating what he said a million times?”

Taiyang tried to laugh as he pressed his hands together, missing twice before he got it. “Ha, yeah, I mean, yeah.”

Summer input their team name for the mission and looked at him. “Tai? Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Recent events. There really was only one thing Ozpin could be referring to.

Summer stepped back as the mission was accepted. “Well, we have a day before we catch the bullhead out. We should get lunch and make sure we’re all prepared. Maybe we can head down to one of the dust stores in Vale for supplies?”

Qrow led the way this time, sauntering out of the auditorium. Taiyang tried to ignore the looks being shot at him, or the way the crowds parted around their team.

He tried to think of something, anything, that could get his mind off the quaking in his hands. “If you think about it, Ozpin’s like a first year too, right? Since he’s the youngest headmaster ever and this is his, uh, first year?”

Qrow raised a brow. “I mean, I guess? But I think he’s just old and kinda weird.”

“Who cares about some war anyway?’ Raven rolled her eyes. “It happened. It’s in the past. None of it matters now. Things are peaceful, Faunus have rights. Everyone’s happy.”

“My mom lived in Atlas during the revolution.” Summer chimed in as they walked out of the building. “She said that they used to round up the Faunus out of the ghettos in Mantle and send them to Menagerie. It sounds awful.”

“Hey, Tai, your mom’s Faunus, right? What did she think of it?”

“Well, it wasn’t an issue for Vacuo. People are too busy focusing on their own survival to have worried about sending the Faunus to Menagerie.”

“Vacuo sounds fucking weird.”

“It’s Vale that’s the weird place to me.”

“So no one in Vacuo was involved?” Summer took one of his hands to get rid of the latent trembles.

He smiled down at her. “I didn’t say that. Plenty of Faunus from Vacuo travelled to the other kingdoms to help out. And, well, human sympathisers were a thing too. It’s really not that ancient, not really.”

“Blah, blah, blah, does any of this really matter?” Raven huffed and shouldered past him. “Let’s just get to Vale. I need more blades.”

Qrow linked his hands behind his head. “So does anyone else think it’s weird how Ozpin always shows up to talk to us specifically?”

Summer swung her and Taiyang’s hands as they walked, pulling her hood back. “I don’t’ think so. I’m sure he was going to go tell everyone good luck. He’s a good headmaster. That seems like a good headmaster thing.”

“I still think he’s weird. I bet he doesn’t even drink coffee.”

“Maybe he does but it’s spiked,” Raven smirked. “It would make sense. Only an idiot would send two sets of volatile seventeen-year-olds out into the public eye, especially if we’re ‘representing’ beacon.”

“Well, we are. So let’s do our best. If we’re doing Search and Destroy and we need to split the group, we should definitely have you as one of the scouts, Raven. Especially if Qrow stays back with the others. That way you and me or Tai can easily get back if there’s something to report to our Huntress. Right?”

“That’s not a bad idea. A get-out-of-danger-free card.” Taiyang tried to smile at Raven and really hoped things could be put aside. There was enough stupid fights on the team.

“Hmph. I’m not agreeing to anything.” She grabbed Qrow’s arm and tugged him towards the docks, aiming to catch the next bullhead to Vale.

Summer sighed and looked up at Taiyang, silver eyes sparkling hopefully. “Well, it’s not a ‘no’, at least?”

He smiled back. “Better than nothing.”

* * *

Qrow followed them over the little stone arch that made the bridge into Cardbridge, and he wondered if the name came first or if the bridge did. What sort of a name was Cardbridge anyway? There were better names.

Taiyang grumbled under his breath as he picked leaves out of his hair, pulling out a twig that was smouldering slightly. Qrow smirked. “You’re not still mad, are you?”

“Have you met me? I’m always mad,” Taiyang shot him a look, his aura flickering like fire over what could have been injuries from his landing.

“You were going to pause, I had to push you.”

“Out of a bullhead.”

“You were fine.”

“I knocked down five trees by accident!”

“Will you two stop bickering?” Raven snapped at them, fixing Qrow with a withering glare.

He rolled his eyes. “So where are we meeting this Huntress?”

Summer adjusted her backpack, white cloak trailing behind her. “We’re going to her home. It’s just outside Cardbridge. From there we’re going after the Grimm nests she’s reported in the area with her. Do we have everything?”

“You’re carrying the backpack, Rosie. Why don’t you tell us?”

“Right. Sorry.” She shrank a little bit as they walked past the walls of Cardbridge. Qrow listened to the sounds of people inside the walls, and wondered if this was what it was like for Raven when she was scouting towns for the tribe to attack. He could practically smell raw dust on the air from the mining town. He could hear children playing, dogs barking, normal lives without any idea what the real world was like.

He hoped that it was hatred he felt towards them, otherwise if Glesni found out she’d put his head on a spike.

He huffed and focused on the task at hand, trailing behind the rest of his team. He put his hands in his pockets and studied the landscape. Looked pretty peaceful, at first glance. He could hear birds chirping, there were mushrooms and moss all over the tree roots, and the river that created a need for a bridge in the first place was surprisingly quiet for a river.

Still, he could see claw marks in the ground and cracks in the tree bark, scarlet flecking some of the town wall. Vale didn’t seem to have quite as much of a problem with bandits like Mistral did, although the territory wasn’t as spread out. That might have been something to do with it.

The claw marks on the ground made the culprits clear. “There’s already been a Grimm attack. Recent too.” The town inside the wall seemed remarkably calm despite that. Unless they were pretending not to worry to try avoid another attack.

Summer looked over her shoulder at him as they left the wall and neared a small house nestled between the trees. “That wasn’t mentioned in the mission outline.”

Raven shrugged. “Might have happened after the mission was posted. You can’t expect the Grimm to just wait for us to show up.”

Summer bit her lip. “Maybe…” She walked up to the door of the cabin and reached out, hesitating before she knocked. “Um…”

“Want me to knock?” Tai offered, pulling a clump of brambles out of the back of his vest.

Summer nodded once, already fading into transparency as she stepped back. “Thanks, Tai.”

He beamed at her before he rapped sharply on the door, Summer reaching up to pluck a leaf off his back that he’d missed. There was the sound of a clatter inside before the door was yanked open, a gaunt-looking woman standing in the doorway.

“You must be the first years from Beacon.”

“Yes, ma’am. Team STRQ. I’m Taiyang Xiao Long, this is Summer Rose, and those two are Raven and Qrow Branwen.” Taiyang pushed his hands into his pockets, which Qrow was starting to recognise as a sign of nerves. How was it that Mr Anxiety was still somehow the most socially adept member of this train wreck of a team?

“Alright. Good. I’m Adrianna. Get in, we’re low on time.” She stepped aside, disappearing back into her house as the rest of his team followed her. Qrow looked around as he walked in, fixating on anything shiny and possibly valuable in the cluttered mishmash of random objects. Not like he was going to rob the place, but it was still good to know he hadn’t lost that skill yet.

He wrinkled his nose as they stepped into the woman’s kitchen, a map of the area laid out on the table and a weird smell in the air. He figured it was from the hookah in the corner, tucked away high on a shelf. This room was slightly less cluttered, at least.

“What did the briefing say?” He let one of the others outline what information they had, tuning out what he already knew to study the huntress they were working with. Stringy black hair, surprisingly lean, and with mismatched striped stockings under her leather armour. She looked like an absolute scatterbrain, not even counting the dark rings under her eyes.

He shared an unimpressed glance with Raven. Even if she was being a grump, she still understood.

“So, you had the details on two nests north of here. At least you know about that. One of them is still small, just a horde of Ursa that’s not nearly big enough to split in two yet, camping out in one of the ruins left behind from the Great War. They could become an issue in the future, which is why we’re going to wipe it out along with our main problem, here.”

Adrianna tapped a spot on the map. “This cavern is filled to the brim with Creeps and Deathstalkers. We need to wipe them out before they end up getting into the dust mine here, luckily their cavern’s still sealed. We don’t want them getting out and attacking the town, not like the Ursa did. And there’s another problem.”

“Another problem.” Summer spoke up for the first time, pulling back her hood. “What is that?”

“There’s a Beowulf pack that’s migrated to the area. Normally that’s not a problem, but with the other two hordes, it becomes more of a pressing matter.”

“What’s the plan?” Taiyang crossed his arms as he stared down at the map.

Summer fidgeted with the clasp of her hood. “The Creeps seem like the main issue. We’d have to deal with them first.”

“Smart girl. Yes, my plan is two-fold. The subterranean Grimm have themselves a nice little cavern, but I’ve scouted it. Only one exit. It’d be a long fight, but you can trap them in a bottleneck and they lose out on the numbers that make them such a problem. The other two are mostly minor, but I’d still deal with them now while they stay that way.”

“If you attacked the Beowulves and drove them west, they’d intercept with the Ursa nest. You could trap both in a pincer movement and take them all out at once?” Summer looked up from the map. “Uh, sorry.” Qrow watched her flicker, clearly trying her hardest not to disappear to her heart’s content.

“It’s a good plan. But do you think you four could handle a horde like that?”

Raven scoffed. “As if it would be a challenge.” Her eyes glittered proudly.

Qrow smirked, mirroring her crossed arms. Adrianna flicked her gaze up to them, her eyes piecing through them. He expected her to say something, but she just hummed once and turned her gaze on the others.

“Well, if you four are so sure of yourselves, why don’t we go test those skills? We’ll take the horde first in your pincer movement, Rose, they’re more mobile than the others. After they’ve been cleared out, the cavern gets emptied.” A knife appeared in the table, through the area on the map where the horde was.

Adrianna gripped the hilt as she cocked her head. “You’re to stay near your huntress at all times, yes? The bullhead will only collect you when I radio it in, and I’ll send you back to Beacon if I think you’re all just full of hot air.”

Summer nodded frantically, stepping back and slightly to the side so she was somewhat hidden from view by Taiyang. Qrow wondered why they were hearing this again when their pilot had told them the exact same thing right before they reached the drop-off point.

“Yeah, that’s what we were told. Why? Are we leaving now?”

“Yes. Don’t bother taking your packs off, we’re camping tonight. I’ll show you where the Ursa are.”

Qrow did his best not to roll his eyes. Adult supervision. Wonderful.

* * *

“Team STRQ’s in Cardbridge, are they? Well, I always did want to go back and visit the Vale of Tears again.” Wynn smiled to herself as she deleted the message for her informant, checking the time on her pocket watch. Yes. She did have time to go catch a train.

The Schnee Dust Company was always so punctual when it came to transporting dust to and from their mines. All she had to do was pick the right train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so RWBY season 6 is amazing so far and coincides perfectly with the end of my exam period. Have this in celebration, I can't wait to get back into this story.


	10. The Vale of Tears

Summer stood alone in a field, the grass denting under unseen boots and speckled with mushrooms and toadstools. She could hear the Grimm crashing through the undergrowth towards her and twisted the two halves of _Meteora Bloom_ , the handle telescoping as the axe blades out.

She counted four Ursa, the remains of the two packs that had managed to escape their slaughter. Adrianna had sent Taiyang and Qrow after the escaped Beowulves, and Summer and Raven were left with the Ursa. Summer supposed the huntress was going around picking off any stragglers that they missed.

The Ursa lumbered into the field, snapping at the jewel-like butterflies that flittered around their heads. One of them swung its head in her direction, attracted to her negativity. It wasn’t that she was sad, or angry, or anything like that. Apparently the Grimm just counted the thrill of impending violence towards them as negativity.

The creature took two steps towards her, and Summer appeared out of thin air, white cloak swirling around her as she raised her axe, swinging the large weapon directly at the Grimm’s head. That was the best thing about an axe, in her opinion. Swords needed precision, and to do real damage to tougher Grimm, they needed some serious power behind them.

Summer was small, and slight, and even with aura she was the weakest of her teammates in pure physical strength. But, she reflected as the Grimm’s lower jaw was lopped off with one blow, all she really had to do with an axe was swing it, and what little strength she had would turn the natural weight of the blades into a handheld guillotine.

The Ursa’s roar bubbled out of its throat as it’s tongue lolled pathetically in the air, and Summer smiled to herself, swinging the axe around the another blow that smashed into the side of the bone-plated head and took the Grimm’s right eye, along with most of that half of its face.

The other Grimm were closing in and her weakened target was gathering itself for a swipe, so Summer went up, her foot delicately landing on the crown of the Grimm’s skull before she used it as a stepping stone, spinning herself in the air so that the axe dug into the middle of its broad head, and went all the way through.

Her feet barely touched the ground before she flicked her wrist and spun around, the two sections of _Meteora Bloom_ flying apart as the chain between them unravelled. The axe blade whistled through the air and slashed almost entirely through one of the standing Ursa, ripping a line through its stomach before it buried itself in the shoulder of the next.

Summer ripped the axe head free and back over her shoulder, pulling forward at the last second to turn the heavy double-headed axe into a sling. She was careful to duck her own body under it, as even with aura a hit with that much force could leave some very nasty bruises.

The Grimm she aimed at, rising on his hind legs, stood no chance. Her blades punched through the Grimm and out the other side like it was made of butter, Summer already snapping the weapon back. The already-dead Grimm was dragged with it, which was a bit of a problem, but she could improvise. All that was left was the one she’d nearly carved in two, and the Ursa she’d lamed.

She retracted the chain back into the handle, the axe-blade following it out through the Grimm smoke until she halted, only about a yard’s length of chain out of the weapon. She twisted her wrist, making the double blades swing in front of her like a pendulum, and hefted it up over her shoulder like a morningstar.

They attacked at the same time, with great clumsy swipes that were easy for her to weave around. She picked her target and ducked to the side, putting it between her and the other Grimm. She swung her weapon forward, the chain flicking the axe blades around with a deadly whirr, and off went its head.

The final Grimm slashed at her through its dying packmate, and she was sent flying over the field, losing her grip on her weapon as she hit the ground and rolled. Her vision swam with red and white and she felt an irrational jolt of fear that her blood was the red before she realised it was the toadstool caps in front of her nose. She pushed herself up and the Grimm was already limping towards her, the ruined leg held off the ground.

It was slow and clumsy and she almost felt sorry for that, but that was drowned under some predatory part of her. It was weakened. That meant it was dead.

Her weapon gleamed silver in the grass, beyond the Grimm that was almost upon her, and she did what she had done in her match with Raven. She went up, using the Grimm for a boost and sending it toppling face-first into the fungus.

Her pale hands secured around the grip of _Meteora Bloom_ , a flick of her wrist retracting the rest of the chain, and she stalked towards the defeated Grimm. It was started to rise, but that didn’t matter. She reached its head, standing out of range of its paws, and raised her axe.

The skull caved in under the blow.

The mushroom field was littered with plumes of black aether, Summer’s blood singing with a fierce pride at her work. As much as she liked her teammates, there was nothing like that feeling of her against a horde of Grimm. Just her and her weapons and her skills. Nothing else came close.

“Not too shabby.”

“Eep!” She disappeared from view, swinging around to see Adrianna leaning against a tree. She watched the dark-haired woman spin her knife in her hands, the revolver function hidden in the handle.

She slowly reappeared, gripping her weapon tight. “You startled me.”

Adrianna gave her a smile that was slightly too wide to be reassuring. “Sorry, poppet. So you’re the leader here. Not quite what I’d expect with your particular teammates.”

Summer dropped her gaze from those piercing eyes. “I- well, I am the leader, and I’ll be the best leader I can.”

“That’s adorable, but I want to talk to you about something a trifle more interesting.” The knife spun in half-circles every time she tossed it up, creating silvery fans in the air. “Your cloak. What’s the point of something silly like that?”

“My hood?” She tugged it a little further over her head, hiding in the shadow of the cowl. “It’s, uh, stylish?”

“It’s a shield, ain’t it, poppet?” Adrianna’s smile only grew.

Summer nodded once. “Mostly.”

“Looks like the Grimm Reaper’s hood too, if a bit bright. Although I don’t suppose you need to worry about standing out with that handy semblance of yours.”

Summer could feel her visibility wavering and watched a butterfly to give herself something to do. “The Grimm Reaper was the best of the best. I’m going to be better than she was some day.” She’d tell her teammates, but she had a feeling Raven and Qrow would laugh, and she didn’t know if the Grimm Reaper was very well known in Vacuo. She was already scared that they’d find out about her Vytal Tournament tapes. If any her sisters ever told them, she would die.

“Bit modest, are we?” Adrianna chuckled. “You know why she wears a skull mask?”

“To hide her face?” Wasn’t that the point of a mask?

“It’s a shield for her too. Maybe you should think about something similar.” Adrianna tapped the edge of her knife to her cheek, right below her eye.

Summer tilted her head. “Why?”

“No particular reason. Just might be something to keep in mind.” She started waltzing back into the trees, her amused lilt carrying on the breeze like the butterflies in the field. “You’ve got a pretty set of peepers, Poppet. Don’t see silver much, not round here at least.”

Summer blinked after her and bit her lip, disappearing from sight as she decided to hunt for more Grimm.

* * *

The Beowulves roared as they charged him, fangs gnashing and claws slashing, and Taiyang stood his ground, smoke curling out from between his teeth before he roared back, much more impressively. He rocked forward on his toes and waited for the first three to pounce, springing at the one on the left and gouging the claws of  _Ránshāo de Huǒyàn_ deep into matted black fur.

He yanked his arms apart before he hit the ground, tearing the Grimm in two. He landed in a roll, barely ducking under a lunge, and kicked up under a Beowulf’s jaw hard enough to snap it shut. Another slash of his claws severed a front leg, and by that point he was just doing the beast a favour when they cut its head off.

He counted more coming, and took a deep breath, making sure he stayed settled in the mind set for monster slaying. He couldn’t use his semblance here. Not to extremes. He had to be careful with it. He could use it to tank any hit he didn’t dodge or block, use his hits to cave in bone or toss a Grimm aside so he kept them from using numbers against him, and the claws of his gauntlets dealt any death blow that his punches didn’t manage.

He grinned to himself and huffed smoke, punching his fists together before he met the next Grimm head-on and drove it into the ground with a neck-snapping suplex, claws buried in its back just to make sure it died. The next had teeth shattered by his block, focusing his aura in his arm to make it tough as stone before he drove his claws up through its head, watching them protrude out of the bone mask.

His pupils thinned to slits as he felt claws rake his side, deflected by his aura, and he channelled that power into a side kick that smashed it through a tree. He jumped after it, grabbing it on either side of its skull head and crushing.

He heard growling behind him and turned, a Beowulf aiming for his unprotected back. The Grimm under him began to dissolve and he fell through it to the ground, dodging the attack. He scanned the trees and figured there were two others aside from this Grimm, although he could hear death cries in the distance.

He wondered why Summer had them spread out, but then, the whole point was to thin the horde. A few stray Grimm were way easier for a town to dispose of rather than a pack. The padding of giant paws and scraping claws sounded too close on his right for comfort and he cartwheeled to the side, away from where the Beowulf had just landed.

He cursed under his breath. He had to stop getting distracted in fights. Three enemies. One on his flank, the other picking itself back up, the third in front of him. He spat small licks of fire in challenge and charged the Grimm, bowling it over with his own momentum as he got his claws dug in deep, braced his knee against the Grimm’s stomach, and twisted.

The Grimm barely had time to whimper before he turned the upper section of its spine in on itself, relishing in the sound as he made it a full 180 degrees. Jut for good measure, he put his claws through the back of its head, tossing it’s slowly dissipating body at its packmates.

He heard a yelp as one of them was hit by the corpse and steadied his footing, catching the paws of the second last Grimm. His heel shifted back in the dirt as he grinned up at the snarling beast, his eyes a reptile orange from corner to corner as he lifted the Grimm up over his head and slammed it back down into the earth, delivering a punch to the head that cracked the bone plating in two.

He shook out his hand and let his claws spring out again, watching the final Beowulf get to its feet and shake out its pitch black pelt. They circled each other, red light trailing from the Grimm’s eyes before they pounced at each other, Taiyang going low and into a handstand so he could swing both heels up into the Grimm’s chest, stopping its charge cold. A twist of his body and brought his legs around like a pendulum, sweeping the Grimm’s back paws out from under it and sending it crashing down.

A final strike of his gauntlet’s claws, and there was nothing but another patch of vanishing monster. He panted for breath as he stood, shaking out his hands and the built up adrenaline. He stretched his arms up, swinging them down to loosen up his shoulders and flex his fingers, dispelling the tension in them.

He leaned his back to a tree, the claws of  _Ránshāo de Huǒyàn_ unsheathed as he watched the sunlight dapple down through the leaves and reflect off them. He shifted his fingers to send little arcs of reflected light over the grasp, taking the chance to empty his mind and focus on his breathing before the next Grimm came. The orange in his eyes slowly faded to marine blue, his pupils rounding out as he cooled off.

“Don’t you look cosy?” The mocking voice nearly made him jump but he managed to keep just enough composure that he only flailed in anxiety rather than falling over.

He looked around for the Huntress and saw nothing, before something landed lightly on his hair. He sheathed one of his gauntlets and pulled a leaf from the blond strands, craning his head back to see Adrianna lounging in a branch, all wide grin and stripey stockings and too-bright eyes.

She cocked her head and raised a brow. “A fist fighter, are you?”

“Yep.” He sheathed his weapons completely. “Can I help you with anything, Miss Liddell?”

He could feel her gaze shift from amused to calculating and tried not to duck his head. “I’m just curious about a few things. You see, I’m given a record of the teams I work with when the school missions come around. Sometimes I don’t get around to reading them, but I did with STRQ. Nothing really to write home about for any of you, no real accomplishments aside from the entrance exams, but something about yours did interest me. It’s not often that students attend an academy outside their home kingdom.”

He dropped his eyes at that, scratching the back of his neck. “Nothing wrong with travelling, right?”

She continued on as if he said nothing. “So what was it about Beacon that got your interest? Says your academic scores were above average, and same with the combat exam. And your semblance, you put it down as ‘damage buff’. I’m sure you had your pick of the litter.”

He thought back to the acceptance letters he’d received and clenched his fists. “The only real option for me aside from Beacon was Shade. Haven and Atlas aren’t exactly the most accepting places.”

“A faunus rights supporter, are you?” Her eyes glittered with a look that said ‘got you’.

He dropped his gaze and put his hands on his pockets. There wasn’t really anything he could say to that. She was right.

“Vacuo’s a lot more accepting then Vale. Why leave if that’s your focus?”

“Well…” he shrugged and looked at her again. “It’s not. Not really. A little bit. You want to know the real reason? I came to Beacon so I could just be another face in the crowd. And everyone knows everyone in Vacuo, so I wanted to go to a place where no one knew me.”

Adrianna jumped down from her tree and put her hands on her hips. “So why be a Huntsman in the first place then? It’s not the most inconspicuous profession.”

He blinked and scrambled for an answer, twiddling his fingers as he did. “I- uh, to help people, right? Isn’t that why everyone does it?”

“You’d be surprised.” She stomped off with those cheerful words hanging in the air, leaving Tai to stare at the faint trembling in his hands as he tried to answer her question for himself.

None of the real answers were really any good.

* * *

Raven carved through the Grimm like they were butter, pieces of monster scattering about with that internal red glow they had. She had two Ursa Major on her tail and smiled to herself. Finally, something of a challenge.

She skidded to a stop and darted back the other way, running between them before they could react. The problem with being so big was that it was rare for them to have the speed it would take to catch her. She stowed her blade and heard her dust revolver spin, pulling out a sword of dark blue.

She drew her finger down the blade and frost formed on the fingertips of her glove, the sheer cold already lowering the temperature around her. She dug her blade into the ground beside her and thrust it forward, sending a path of ice for her to slide on.

She was reminded of when she and Qrow would play on the frozen lakes and streams, until his semblance had kicked in and made even stepping on the ice a danger.

Just her luck that he was off on his own. If he wasn’t watching his back, she’d put a sword in it for him. Idiot.

There was a loud roar behind her as she skated over the fractals, throwing a look over her shoulder at the rampaging Grimm. They were getting closer, which was exactly her plan.

Her ice trail was almost to an end, and she threw her sword, watching it stick in the earth and wedge itself there. Her hand closed around it and she spun herself around, taking all of that momentum she’d built up and slamming both feet into one if the Ursa Major. The blow sent a large crack down its skull face, through the red markings between its eyes, and it flew back into the brush with a heavy crash.

Her mouth twisted into a scowl as she completed her spin and landed in a low stance, her sword already in its sheath. Not enough to kill it. Not yet.

Its companion rose onto its hind legs before it swatted down, delivering a blow that would crush her if she hadn’t rolled out of the way. She came up into a run and went up the side of a tree, flipping off when she was over the Ursa’s head height and landing behind it, kicking through some of the bone spikes that protruded and grabbing another so she hung between its shoulder-blades.

Her blade bit deep into the fur, the red disappearing almost to the hilt in the Ursa’s back, between the bone plating. It attempted to swipe at her but couldn’t reach, a twist of her wrist removing the blade from the hilt.

She placed both heels against the speckles of bone plating and placed the hilt back on her weapon, tapping the part of her blade she could reach as some of her copper aura seeped into the dust.

Fire erupted from the metal, the Ursa roaring in pain as it ate at it from the inside. Raven jumped back, away from the Grimm, and decided it was no threat to her now. She turned to where its companion was crashing back at her from where she’d kicked it, the facial crack spider-webbing further with every motion.

She charged it immediately, lopping off a paw as she passed and coming back for another hit, taking a back leg on her return and sending it to the ground. She straightened up and walked around to the head, hopping over a feeble swipe at her feet.

She smirked proudly and brought her blade down, aiming right for the crack in its face and yanking upwards to kill it. The beast’s death throes were cut off as she freed her weapon, giving it a quick check for any nicks that she might have caused.

She heard thudding paws and turned, just in time to dodge a swipe from the immolated Grimm, a growing hole burning through its chest as the flames spread over its fur, clearly on the verge of death.

She gritted her teeth and stepped back, her heel going through the miasma of Grimm essence from her other kill and nearly rolling her ankle on the bits that had not fully disappeared.

She clicked a button on her weapon and sent the sword rocketing out, hilt first, knocking the Ursa’s head back before she grabbed it and carved an extra slash down its front, nearly cutting it in two.

The Ursa stumbled back before it collapsed, already turning to embers and smoke. She sheathed her weapon and walked away, red eyes scanning for any other monsters that needed killing.

“Well, well, well, well, well. Wasn’t that a show?” She heard slow clapping and turned, her hand jumping to her weapon as she laid eyes on the huntress leaning against a tree. She glared at her and slowly lifted her hand off the hilt, straightening up slightly.

Liddell took her silence as a reason to keep talking. “I’m actually quite impressed with you. Your team had some of the higher scores on the entrance exam into Beacon, I’m told, with you right at the tippity-top of the lot.”

Smugness oozed from her blood-red eyes. “That’s right. Those entrance exams were child’s play.”

“And I looked at your transcripts. All without prior training. Didn’t go to Sanctum, or Signal, or any of the combat schools at all. Bit of a rare thing, that. Care to elaborate?”

“No.” She waited for Liddell to say something about that and got nothing, Liddell’s grin only widening, the woman’s eyes gleaming like she was laughing some untold joke. Laughing at her. What was so funny?

Raven put her hands on her hips, talking through gritted teeth. “My brother and I grew up outside the kingdoms. If you can’t fight, if you’re not strong enough to break through any obstacle in your way, you don’t survive.”

It made Liddell’s twinkling amusement fade slightly. The Huntress quirked a brow. “You’re very focused on strength. Is that what drives you?”

This woman was mad as a hatter. She rolled her eyes as she explained the obvious. “It’s what drives everyone. Everyone is here to become stronger. That’s the point of the academies.”

Liddell’s gaze turned calculating, and for a moment Raven wondered if she could read her mind with how those too-bright eyes pierced into her soul. “Is it now?”

“Yes.” She put as much confidence into it as she could. She was right and she knew it. People were selfish, and Huntsmen weren’t noble paragons of virtue. They were the strongest fighters in the kingdoms, but that was it.

“So what will you do with all that strength?”

Raven set her jaw and said nothing. The strong live. The weak die. That was the rule. She was hardly going to blab about her goals to a huntress. Not when it all got back to Ozpin.

Liddell seemed to read something in her silence. “I see.” She walked off, aimed unerringly in the faint sounds of combat.

Raven watched her leave as rage flared in her chest, and a slash of her sword encased a nearby tree in crystalline ice.

* * *

Qrow caught his breath after another of the seemingly endless outs against Grimm and leaned against a particularly steady-looking boulder. There was the faint sound of moving dirt and he cussed as the boulder toppled over, leaving a gash in the rock behind him. He reached for his weapon, thinking it would be just his luck if he accidentally opened another path for the subterranean Grimm to escape.

His scowl only deepened as red eyes glowed back from the darkness. A flock of cat-sized Nevermores rushed him from their roosting place, scratching at his face with their talons. He crossed his arm over his head protectively and slashed at the ones he could get, most of the avian Grimm escaping up into the air.

He raised his sword and the blade flicked down, barely needing to look up as his shotgun tore the Nevermores to shreds, little Grimm corpses falling to the ground around him. He nudged one of them with his foot as it started to dissolve, stowing his sword on his back.

He pulled out his scroll and shone the light into the little cave, checking to make sure it was shallow and didn’t need to be blocked off again. The light reflected off the back wall and he sighed in relief, putting his scroll away. His bad luck wasn’t going to fuck up the whole mission.

He prowled around the bottom of the cliff face, looking for the cave that Liddell was talking about. He heard snarling that he didn’t recognise and slowed his pace, his hand drifting towards his blade. Was this one of those creeps? He figured they were native to Sanus, or maybe just vale. He’d never heard of that one before.

He glanced at the cliff and saw a few areas that he might be able to climb for a better view, quickly scaling the wall to the halfway point. He dug his blade into the stone as an anchor, spotting one ugly fucker prowling around up ahead.

What the fuck kind of Grimm had two legs? Normally they had more claws then that. Although it looked like the teeth made up for it.

He shifted his grip and leaned out slightly, spotting a dark shadow in the cliff face that had to be the entrance. More of the weird Grimm began wandering out to prove him right.

He scoffed. Yeah. Because the Grimm were going to be all patient and wait for them to finish up with the Ursa and Beowulves. It wasn’t like they were strictly nocturnal.

He rocked himself back and forth before he pulled his sword free and launched himself at the Grimm, extending the weapon out into his scythe form as he brought it down through one of them, bisecting it with ease.

He stood, scythe behind him as he rested the curved blade lower to the ground and waited. The Grimm immediately charged him, planning to overrun him with numbers on their lopsided two-legged gait.

He stepped forward, spinning once as he brought his scythe around and transferring his turn into the weapon. Ozpin said that all he needed to do was provide an axis to spin it on. His spins were still slower and more unwieldy compared to what Ozpin had done with the weapon, but he could feel that the drills were working.

His muscles fell into patterns that were slowly becoming familiar as he mowed the Creeps down, eviscerating them into scraps before they came near enough to even think about biting him. One got in under his scythe as he took out two with one swing, and he kicked its ugly mutant face in the way Taiyang showed him.

He spun with the scythe, using his own turns to give the blade more weight before he spotted one trying to get away. The distance wasn’t two far of a jump and his blade went through the Creep into the ground.

He tugged it free and looked around, seeing the bits and pieces of very dead Grimm scattered around and took another look at his weapon, chest heaving from exertion. “Holy shit.” Apparently scythes were nothing to joke about when it came to monster slaying. He might actually grow to like this thing.

Still fucking useless against people though. He’d stick with the sword and shotgun for that.

“So you’re the only one with a gun here?” He didn’t bother looking around at Liddell, watching the cave entrance for any other Grimm. Maybe they should collapse it and trap them in.

“Maybe not for long. I heard Summer and Tai discussing upgrades to their weapons.”

“They seem like a smart pair. I was talking to them. And to your sister. You’re quite the eccentric bunch, aren’t you?”

He glared at her with suspicion. “Have you been interrogating us? Because I’m gonna stop you right there. So fuck off, unless you’ve got anything useful.”

“Is that attitude why you keep getting disciplined in class? Or is that because of your destructive habits?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Lady, shut up.”

Her lips curved into a goading smile. “Extra lines, bans from handling certain items, particularly anything in the weapons workshop. No actual detentions, which I’d think was strange for destruction of Beacon property, but apparently you have remedial lessons for that.”

His grip tightened on his scythe handle until his knuckles were white. “Whatever. When do we take out these Grimm?” He jerked his head at the cave mouth.

“Tomorrow. You should come back with me to the camp, we’ll be assigning guard duty over the cave entrance. You going to volunteer?”

He shrugged. “I’ll leave it to Summer. She’s got a good head for that shit.” He figured it wouldn’t be him. He’d probably cause the Grimm to attack.

“You don’t seem to be much of a team player, do you?”

“I work best alone.” That way his semblance only affected him.

“Is that so? Well, if you didn’t have your team assigned to you, I’d say your attitude would drive off anyone who might try change that. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

He glared at her. “Fuck you.” He was not hanging around to listen to her shit. He took off at a lope, almost hoping he could meet some more Grimm along with way so he could cut them to ribbons.

* * *

Taiyang shifted his load to his left as he reached down for another stick, placing it on top of the bundle he already had. He judged that to be enough and started walking back to camp, wondering if there was any way he could stretch out the walk even more.

He did not want to camp alone with Raven. He didn’t care that it was the smartest move, semblance-wise. He didn’t care that Raven made the perfect scout for a situation as long as Qrow stayed with the main group, and that he was probably the best choice to go with her in case of a fight, since he didn’t have Qrow’s semblance. He just really really _really_ did not want to have to share a campfire with Raven.

Then again, considering the look she’d sent him when Summer and Adrianna assigned them the role, the feeling was most definitely mutual.

He walked along the cliff face until he spotted her, holed up where they had a good view of the cave entrance but without being close enough to draw the Grimm out. She’d already cleared the clearing and set up two swags, a ring of rocks between them as a clear indicator of where the fire was going.

He dropped his sticks down and started setting it up, wondering how they were going to start it. He heard her heels stomping through the undergrowth before she showed up and decided he should at least try to be nice. Like Summer would want him to be. Probably.

“Hey, Raven. Doing a perimeter check?”

“Of course I was, what do you think I was doing?” She sat down on the red swag, leaving the brown one to him.

How was it that even a snarky comment from her could make his temper rear its head and sniff the air? He inwardly counted to ten to cool off and kept building up the little fire, sans the actual flames. Maybe he should cut his palm and get it going that way.

He glanced at Raven as she stared at him the way a vulture stared at a dying animal and wondered if Adrianna had talked to her too. It kept creeping back into his head. Of course most people weren’t in the Huntsman business to help people, why did he think that would be a convincing cover.

If Raven was at Beacon out of the goodness of her heart, he’d eat _Ránshāo de Huǒyàn._

Still, he should probably ask. She could surprise him. When he thought about it, he really didn’t know much about her. All the conversations they’d had so far were usually insults and potential arguments.

“So, did Adrianna ask you about being a Huntress?” He kept his eyes on the sticks he was stacking in a neat little pile, ready to be added to the fire once he got it going.

“What does it matter to you?” He could hear the glare.

“I’m just wondering. She asked me, I figured she probably asked us all.”

He didn’t expect an answer, so it wasn’t surprising that the awkward silence at the end of his statement lingered. He sat back on his bedroll when there was literally no more rearranging he could do with the twigs, extending one of his gauntlets and letting the claws slide in and out. Yeah, he should cut his hand. He’d be fine. Even though it would hurt, and be tough. Hands were a lot harder to cut then the movies showed. He kept track of Raven out of the corner of his eyes, but she seemed to be in a similar state of silent contemplation. Probably not about cutting her hand though.

He noticed her shift forward, breaking the silence around them with movement. She pulled out blade with a dulled _shing_ , slowly drawing it to its full length. She snapped a piece off the end and tossed a chunk of the red blade onto the woodpile, starting a merry little blaze.

He tried a smile. “Cool.” Yeah, he should definitely start thinking about using dust in his weapons. He’d had some for initiation. He should make it a permanent feature.

Raven stared at the fire, the shadows it cast over her face blending in with her dark hair. “To answer your question, she did ask me something along those lines. She also mentioned that I was top of the year when it came to the entrance exam.”

“Yeah, she mentioned something about my entrance exam and transcripts too. Apparently we all did well there. She asked me why I picked Beacon.”

“To be honest, I’ve been wondering that myself. I’d have thought you’d stay in Vacuo, considering.”

“Well, why didn’t you go to Haven then, if we’re basing it on kingdoms?” He raised a brow.

“My circumstances were different,” she snapped. “Beacon happened to be the best choice.”

He picked up a stick and poked the fire. “I already told Adrianna this, but Beacon wasn’t my only choice. My mom had me apply to all four, just to cover all my bases. I wouldn’t be caught dead at Haven or Atlas, but I still did it. Acceptance letters from the lot. Liddell was right. I had my pick. Beacon seemed like the best one to be invisible in.”

She laughed at that. It wasn’t a nice laugh. It was a laugh that made him feel small. “You? Invisible? I thought that was Rosie’s thing.”

He forced a chuckle to fool himself into thinking she was laughing with him. “Yeah. Well. I just didn’t want to stand out. Turns out that was a pipe dream that didn’t even make it five weeks, but I tried.”

She was still laughing. “How stupid are you?”

He flinched. “I’m not.”  

“Well, I didn’t come here with the intention of standing out, but it’s a side effect of being the best, so I suppose I’ll just have to deal with it.” Her eyes gleamed with pride. “So that was it? You wanted to be invisible, so you came to a Huntsman Academy? You’re a natural blond, aren’t you?”

“Shut up, Raven.” He crossed his arms and glared at the fire.

“It’s only one of the most easily-noticed professions there is, after all. And with your semblance? Not the most idiot-proof plan.”

“I said shut up.” He focused on his breathing. Why was he even getting angry? He was meant to be better than this.

“You’re not going to attack me.” Her eyes glittered like she’d won. “I have nothing to fear from you. Or your uncontrollable semblance. You’re worse than my brother, honestly.”

His eyes blazed orange as his pupils slitted. “Why do you keep doing that? Bringing up his semblance? You know he hates it, why do you keep attacking him over it? It’s not his fault!”

“Are you talking about him or you?” She stood up, one hand on her hip as the other rested on the hilt of her weapon.

“Him! Both of us! You know what, fuck you. Why do you like hurting him, Raven? He’s your family. What’s wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” She pointed quizzically at herself. “Qrow is the problem.”

“The only one who has a problem here is you, Raven. You’re cold, and rude, and horrible. If we weren’t all stuck on a team with you, you wouldn’t have anyone.”

Her amused smile vanished. “I’d have Qrow.”

“With the way you treat him?” Taiyang copied her scoff. “Doubt it.”

Her fist clenched at her side. “You just had to come in and ruin everything, didn’t you? With your pathetic partnership. He was supposed to be my partner, and you took him from me!”

“Why didn’t you use your semblance then, I’d have thought it was perfect for that!”

“Shut up or I will make you shut up.” She gritted her teeth, her eyes just as fiery as his.

“What, don’t like hearing the truth?”

“Ugh, you and Summer are insufferable! This entire team business is ridiculous, we’re meant to be training to get stronger! Having to work together and rely on others only keeps us weak, why doesn’t anyone else understand that?”

“Because it’s completely wrong! You’re wrong, Raven! I don’t know what Summer told you on your mission but you obviously didn’t get it into your thick head.”

Her blade pressed to his throat before he even had the chance to think about his aura, the jagged, broken tip drawing small beads of blood that were near-invisible on the scarlet blade.

 “You’re so focused on strength. It’s not hard to miss, considering it’s your favourite fucking word. You wanna see strength?” Fire licked at his words as he spat them at her, staring down at her blade with contempt. “I’ll show you. Go on. Cut my throat. Do it.”

“You are not stronger than me.” Her eyes bored into his, every inch of her as unyielding as a stone monolith.

“You wanna test that?” he asked quietly, a tiny droplet of crimson rolling down the edge of her blade and falling on the grass with a soft _plop_.

She held his stare, and he realised that for all his anger and bravado, his hands were shaking so badly he could feel the tremors running up his arms. There was nothing scarier than an unstoppable monster. If Raven twisted her wrist even a half-inch, then a monster was all there would be.

As much as he hated her, he didn’t want to wake up lying in a pool of her blood.

A twig cracked and the two of them turned towards the sound in unison, Taiyang’s claws jumping out of his gauntlets as Raven drew her sword back in preparation to strike. She squinted, trying to peer into the darkness beyond the light of their campfire.

“Think it’s a Grimm?” He murmured, a chill running down his spine. Grimm didn’t need to see in the dark. Why would they, when anger and hatred and violence drew them like moths to a flame?

His aura flared as it sealed the shallow cut on his throat, punctuating the thought. If he and Raven had drawn the Grimm out of the natural bottleneck of the cavern, then Cardbridge was nothing but ashes and memories. And it would be all their fault.

Raven leaned forward, cocking her head in a birdlike motion as she scanned the area. “The cave is behind us.”

“It could have circled around.” His raised his head, sniffing the air like a beast as he tried to pick up on the stench of Grimm. He didn’t take enough damage, not for a proper buff. They could finish their fight later, if they lived long enough for it. Grimm would always take priority over arguments.

She stood still for another minute, the silence hanging in the air. He realised that the natural sounds of the forest had long since gone quiet. Eventually she straightened and sheathed her blade, keeping her hand on the hilt as the dust chamber rotated. “Whatever it is, it’s gone now. We should check the cave. It may have returned to the pack.”

He kicked dirt over the fire to smother it and followed her, picking his way through the darkness as his night vision slowly dulled, his eyes reverting back to marine blue as his semblance burned out. Raven ghosted through the trees in front of him like she was made of shadows as they followed the line of the cliff face.

Her arm shot out and bumped his chest a few steps from the cave. “It could be an ambush.”

“Grimm aren’t smart enough for that.” he stayed still and watched for the tell-tale bone masks. “I don’t see anything.”

Another twig snapped in the trees beside them and they whirled to face it, Taiyang shifting one foot back into a stance as Raven’s hand fastened on her sword’s hilt.

There was a woman there. Taiyang blinked, dumbfounded, and looked her over, taking in the white hair tied in a neat bun and the cream-coloured eyes, the gold buttons on her waistcoat shined to the point they gleamed like miniature suns.

Raven tilted her head. “You’re the one from Odinium.”

Taiyang looked between them as the woman stood there like Raven hadn’t even spoken. “You know her?”

“She was at the police station when we brought in the Ripper.” Raven drew the first few inches of her blade as the woman moved, pulling out a gilded pocket watch and winding it up. It filled the air with the sound of quiet ticking.

Tai looked behind them at the cave entrance, his claws slowly sliding back into their sheaths. “What’s she doing here then?” Why wasn’t she talking?

“I don’t know.” Raven’s scowl darkened as she took a step forward, extending the blade to its full length. The tip was jagged from where she’d snapped a piece off. “But I’m going to find out.”

The woman’s pocket watch made a full revolution, and she exploded, blowing them back into the cave as the force of the blast ripped through the cliff face. Rocks crumbled down, blocking off the entrance and trapping them in the Grimm-filled darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everybody. This story wouldn't be what it was without your support and comments. I hope you enjoy this one.


	11. Late, Late

Qrow ran a whetstone over the edge of his scythe, sitting cross-legged on the bedroll across from Summer. He had a very clear memory of how utterly painful their last conversation was, and he had no desire for that level of sheer awkward ever again.

Summer seemed much the same, her hood pulled over her face as she stared into the fire, knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them. He could feel her silvery gaze flick up to him every so often, and focused on the soft drag of the sharpening tool over metal.

He could hear Liddell skulking in the darkness outside their little circle of firelight, technically on watch but really just being a creep. He and Summer were meant to be sleeping, but he couldn't do it. Not while his sister and partner were out there. He had to be ready in case that portal opened.

Of course, the bigger issue with Rae and Tai being alone together was that they'd probably kill each other long before the Grimm got there.

"So… are you a fan of her too?" Summer whispered into the quiet, catching his attention better then any shout would have.

He looked up at her and raised a brow. "huh?"

"The Grimm Reaper. I just mean, I've never seen anyone else who uses a scythe, and while she technically uses twin kamas, which are not the same as scythes, I can see the similarities in design and you also wear a cape so I was just wondering if when you were designing yours, and were you thinking of _Life_  and  _Death_? Because it's pretty cool if you did base your weapons off hers. If you did?"

He stared at her, utterly gobsmacked. Who the fuck was the Grimm Reaper. She stared back, her eyes reflecting the fire like twin mirrors and so full of brightness and that spark that only came out when she started babbling in Weaponese. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. "… Yes I did."

She lit up, her smile so blindingly bright he had to blink away the afterimages. "I thought so! She's so cool, isn't she? She's my hero! Did you ever hear about that time she killed an entire pack of Sphinxes in Southern Anima?"

"Sphinxes?" He blinked at her. "The giant bastards with snakehead tails and wings and shoot fireballs?"

"The very same! Apparently they'd wiped out almost twenty different towns in the region and then they went up against her."

"Just her? By herself?" Impossible.

"Yep. Even Heather Alcides apparently once said that the Grimm Reaper was one of the best, and she's in the same league as Helsing and Mr Port. So when someone like that says someone else is good, then you know it's for real."

Wasn't Port that guy Berserker Tai punted through a building? "Yeah. She's awesome." He still had no idea who they were talking about, but it was part of his cover story now.

"I actually have an article saved on my phone about how she singlehandedly cleared the area where Mountain Glenn got built. There used to be an entire flock of Wyverns up in those mountains, and she killed them all in one trip."

"Wyverns?" Qrow straightened up. "You're kidding me. No one kills Wyverns." Not only were the fuckers really big and able to fly, but they also spawned literal armies of Grimm. An entire flock of them? Those mountains would have been utterly infested with monsters. And one person? That was… actually pretty cool.

"She did!" Summer squeaked with glee. "You didn't hear about that?"

"No, I guess I didn't." He set his scythe aside. "Got any others? I'll tell you if I knew about it or not." Apparently he was a fan now. Grimm Reaper. He'd never even heard of her before. Ozpin sure as hell didn't mention anything about that when he was talking about using a scythe.

Summer  _beamed_. "Rumour has it that one time, on Lake Natsu, she faced an entire hive of Lancers and slayed them all in time for lunch."

"Wicked." He'd have to look this lady up in the library. "And you said she uses scythes?"

"Twin kamas," Summer corrected. "And yep. Weapons Weekly did a cover on them once, I've still got the issue back in our dorm. They're called Life and Death and they use gravity dust and apparently she can attach them together to create a double-bladed scythe, which is really cool."

He glanced at his scythe and thought of how easily he'd mown through the Creeps. Scythes were actually kind of awesome. "Yeah. It really is."

Summer's eyes glittered. "One day, I'm going to be even better."

He raised a brow. "Okay then. Go for it." Apparently if he got Summer talking about something she liked, then the conversation became way easier. He just had to toss in the occasional comment and she was fine. That was actually pretty good.

She smiled warmly at him. "I will. She was a hero. I want to be one too. I want to help people."

"So you've said."

"Is that what you want?" She tilted her head.

He screeched inwardly and scrambled for a lie. No he was not here to learn to kill Huntsmen and no he was not having an internal crisis over that particular moral quandary. "I- uh- well, you see-" He couldn't even think of any swear words.

"You don't know." Summer looked at him the same way Tai did when Qrow told him about his semblance.

His stuttered attempts at some bullshit lie died on his tongue. She was right. He didn't know. Not really. Not anymore. He kept swinging between what the tribe wanted and whatever the other option was. All he did know was that he didn't want to go back. Raven said they'd return as heroes, but he doubted being able to kill Huntsmen would wipe away everything his curse did to the tribe.

They were meant to be family. Some family.

"I guess I don't." Well. Fuck. "Whatever. Doesn't matter." He poked the fire with a stick and grimaced as it collapsed in on itself. Whoops.

Summer shifted like she was going to reach over and pat his shoulder or do something horrible and awkward involving touching and shit and then she rethought it. Thank you, universe. For once his status as cosmic punching bag didn't include a kick in the dick.

She folded her hands in her lap, the motion catching his attention back to her. "Well, at least you've still got plenty of time to figure it out?"

"Yeah, after this we got end of year exams and three more years, right?" he wondered what he and Raven would do in the school break. He really didn't want to go back. At least not yet. Maybe not ever.

"Exactly. Plenty of time. You'll figure out what you want to do, and you'll do great." Summer smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes and smiled back. Okay. Sure. Whatever. When she got all supportive it was kind of hard not to go with it. It was cute.

The sound of an explosion rocked the valley and he sprang to his feet, hand on his weapon. Summer sprang up, tripping on the hem of her cloak and hitting the ground again. He winced and offered a hand up. "Sorry."

"Not your fault." She stood up and dusted herself off, pulling out her weapon before he could start arguing that yes it absolutely was his fault, she didn't get caught up in her hood ever, except for when she had a literal living jinx with her.

"It came from the cliffs." Adrianna appeared out of the darkness around them, her little knife in hand.

His eyes widened as he realised he couldn't hear the familiar sound of the portal. Rae.

* * *

His ears were ringing as he stumbled to his feet, feeling around for a wall. "Raven? Are you dead?" Please don't be dead.

He heard the sound of a blade been drawn, watching as flames illuminated Raven's face, burning along the length of her blade. Her jaw was set with confidence but there was something about her eyes that made it seem fake. "What's the plan, Raven?"

"I'll keep a look out." Raven looked paler then he'd ever seen before, red eyes wide and hunted. He watched her shove the burning sword into the floor and unlatch it from the hilt, leaving them with a makeshift torch for as long as the dust was ignited. "You have to shift those rocks. We need to get out of here before they swarm us."

If they did, the two of them were dead, even if they both had their aura on full. He clenched his fists and activated his semblance, letting out a filthy curse. "I didn't absorb any of that." Which was probably good, because he'd never been in a big explosion before and what if he woke up with Raven's melted waxy corpse under his claws?

"Taiyang, they're coming." And she was right. He could hear them. The snarls of Creeps and the scuttling sounds of Deathstalkers, pincers clicking and claws scraping on earth. "We can't stay here, we're boxed in."

"We don't have anywhere to go." He stepped forward and got into a fighting stance. He was the meat shield anyway. He could barely see past the darkness. "You gotta try get your aura back. How quickly can you recharge it?"

"I don't know. Can you try unlock mine with yours?"

"I don't think that works for missing aura." He didn't know what to do. And he didn't know how to unlock someone else's aura anyway. "Any ideas?" He had one, but he didn't like it.

Raven nodded. "If you can activate one of my blades, I can create an ice wall to buy us more time."

He blinked. "Huh. Stall and live."

She drew a dark blue sword. "Have you ever used dust?"

"Aside from a little bit of fire dust for blowing things up in initiation? No. So do I just stab the ground?"

"No, you wave it like a magic wand." She rolled her eyes. "Of course you stab the ground, it's not like you can easily control where the ice goes. That's the best way to get proper coverage for it."

He raised a brow at her. "Do you have any other dust? Earth dust? That would probably be a bit tougher than ice for them to get through."

"No, now shut up and do it." She handed him her sword, hilt first, her fist clenching after she let go. He didn't know if he liked this. Something about melee weapons had always felt uncontrolled to him. He heard all that talk about 'the blade is an extension of the body', but that just sounded unbalanced.

He tried to focus on activating the dust and stabbed the ground, expecting the blade to shatter when it hit solid rock. It did, but the wall of ice that bloomed in front of him was admittedly pretty rad. He rapped his knuckles against it, knowing absolutely nothing about ice. It did sounds kinda solid, he guessed.

He handed the hilt back to Raven. "Okay, that's pretty cool." She nodded along before the pun registered and she thumped his arm. Not that he minded that, specifically. He'd take any charge he could get and he needed that laugh.

"You're an idiot. If it wasn't for you we could have heard that bitch coming." She walked back to the flaming blade that was their light and he hoped that he'd put up the ice wall enough so it wouldn't melt. He didn't want to extinguish the dust, if that was even possible. It was part of why the Grimm were so terrifying. Humanity needed light to see, to chase away nightmares, and Grimm were darkness incarnate.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts, because negativity was not the solution, and walked back to the rock wall, trying again to shift some of them. "That doesn't matter now, Raven. Focus on your semblance."

"I can't! I tried, but it's low, and I don't know when it'll be strong enough to fuel my semblance. Or were you not paying attention?" She crossed her arms.

She really could get on his nerves. He felt his teeth get a little sharper and showed them to her. "How weak is your aura?"

"We're not all boneheads like you, Xiao Long. Some of us use weapons to block hits rather than our face."

"My style works, okay? I have to take damage, that's my semblance. Yours is using your brother as a warp point just so you can push him around. Have you ever heard the idea that someone's semblance is part of their soul? That means you're defined by the fact that your brother, your twin, is just a convenient thing for you to use and bat around. But without him, you're useless." Turns out that the fight they had was definitely not on pause because of extenuating circumstances. Good.

"Shut up, Taiyang."

"I'm serious." He was being mean, but he could tell himself that she deserved it. "Qrow's a better fighter then you. He's smarter too. Summer said that you lost your aura to the Ripper too. It keeps happening. You keep losing. Qrow was the reason we killed the Bone-tip, and you were just slowing Summer down."

She tossed her sword to the side and lunged at him, throwing a few punches that he was able to dodge before she kicked him in the shin and tried to scratch his eyes with her nails. He yanked his head out of the way and caught her wrist, eyes burning like twin suns. "Guess that's what your semblance is, Raven. No matter how badly you treat your own fucking brother, he can't escape from you. You _bitch_."

She punched him in the chest. "Qrow is not better than me! I'm stronger than him, and you, and Summer. I'm the best fighter on this team, the exam results proved it!"

"Then how come I'm the one holding your wrist in a grab?"

"Well, that's just your semblance! You said it right there, if semblances are part of someone's soul, that means you're a bloodthirsty killer, to the core." She spat the words in his face and he reeled back like she'd slapped him.

"No I'm not."

"What, you can give it but you can't take it? Does that only work with your sadomasochism bullshit?"

"I'm  _not_  a killer." No he wasn't. He wasn't. His eyes reverted back to blue.

"Yes, you are. You told us yourself." She ripped hr wrist out of his hand shockingly easily.

"I- but that's not me!"

"I saw you, do you remember that? I saw what you did to the other students. Guess that's what your semblance is, Tai Tai." Her smile was the ugliest thing in the world to him as she cocked her hip to the side, placing her hand on it with a gleam in her eyes. "You bitch."

His hand curled around her throat and he lifted, his temper igniting along with his hair, his eyes, his breath, fire sparking from between his teeth. "You- you-" He didn't know what to say. He was too pissed off to think straight.

Raven's voice was cold and calm, a quiet rage that rattled him more than her shouting. "I guess we're both awful people, if that's what our semblances mean." Twin sets of fire-hued eyes glared into each other before Taiyang loosened his grip, letting her land lightly on the cave floor.

Raven massaged her throat, looking at him with contempt, her other fist clenched tightly at her side.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to count out his breathing in his head, forcing his anger to cool off and pushing it away. "I hate you so fucking much sometimes."

"Because I'm right."

"Can you just shut the hell up?" Was she right? Was he wrong? Or maybe they were both right? Or both wrong? He heard something that made nails on chalkboard sound pleasant and looked at the ice wall, red eyes and black shapes visible on the other side, weird lines distorting the shapes.

Those were claw marks. Small cracks were starting to spider-web their way through the shield.

They were going to die and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

"Damn it." He punched the stone hard enough to crack it. "Damn it damn it damn it all to hell we're going to die."

"You idiot. Stop freaking out, if you panic they'll only kill us faster." Raven scowled at him as she sorted through her dust blades.

"Kill us faster?" Taiyang's hands shook as he pressed them together, his heart rate quickening. "Oh,  _now_  I can relax!"

She swatted his shoulder. "I am not dying here, Xiao Long. Now do you have any ideas or are you going to cry and snivel like a child?"

"Stop insulting me and maybe I'll come up with something." Unlikely. He wasn't an ideas guy. He was a 'hit things hard and hope it worked' guy. He wasn't like Summer and Qrow.

Ravens eyes sparked furiously. "Stop being annoying and I'll consider it."

Taiyang clenched his fists and looked at the ice wall. "Truce?"

"What?"

"Truce." He glanced at her, shifting so that he was standing between her and the Grimm. The sounds of them clawing through the ice was getting louder, the roars and snarls growing less muffled. "At least until we're out of here?"

Raven narrowed hr eyes before cocking her head in a vaguely avian motion. It was almost a nod. He'd take it. "Fine. But this isn't over, Berserker. Do you have a plan?"

"Aside from throw myself at the Grimm when the ice comes down and hope you make a portal?" He didn't like that plan.

Raven drew another blade, one that he mistook for black before he say the blue sheen. "I can thicken the ice and give us more time."

"What else do you have there?" He eyed her sheath and the kaleidoscope of dust blades visible inside.

Raven shrugged. "Fire, ice, lightning, hard light, one blade with air dust. I'm getting some earth dust next time for sure."

"Earth dust would be great. Fire and air. Mix those two and you'd probably get a way bigger flame then normal. Especially in a small space like this. It would be like an explosion." He wasn't certain how air dust worked, but if it worked similar to normal air, then the increase in oxygen would cause a backdraught. Unfortunately, they'd probably both get incinerated along with the Grimm, if the heat plume didn't cook them alive first. Fire was great for killing things, but even he had his limits for how much of it he could take.

Raven's eyes lit up. "I think I have a plan." She quickly emptied her sheath, gathering all the blades she had beside the one they were using as a torch, keeping only one cyan blade attached to the weapon's hilt. He must have looked utterly befuddled, because when she looked at him she rolled her eyes and spoke like she was explaining something to a toddler. "We're going to use these as a bomb. Should slow them down."

He may not have liked her very much, but that plan currently sounded like the best thing ever. "I'll activate it. How do we not die?"

Raven swung the blade she had left in the motion he recognised for her portals, and nothing happened. She scowled and tried it again. Still nothing. A stream of impressive curses filled the cavern before it was drowned out by a sound like nails on a chalkboard, the screech growing almost painful as one of the Creeps managed to punch it's claws all the way through.

Taiyang extended his gauntlet's claws to lop off the offending limb, hearing the Creep yelp in pain and the pack on the other side to grow even more frenzied in their attempt to bust through. "Raven?"

She slashed the air again, and slowly a rip appeared in space, barely a third the size of her usual portals. She gritted her teeth. "Let's go."

Taiyang judged the portal size and took a running leap, diving through it so he could actually fit. He saw a figure holding a familiar broadsword as he made it through. He twisted to land on his shoulder and go into a roll, coming up just in time to get a shovel to the face.

Ow.

He blinked and saw double, a white-haired shape hefting a massive shovel back for a two-handed swing. Her eyes gleamed in the night like ghostly mirrors, pinpricks of light that gave away her species surer than anything else. Something flickered out of the woods behind her and wrapped around her waist, Taiyang's eyes adjusting just enough to recognise it as  _Meteora Bloom_. The chain links tightened with a rattle and yanked the Faunus woman away before she could ring his bell a second time.

He heard something land behind him and looked around, copper aura flaring in the dark before it shattered, the steady hum of Raven's portal shutting off abruptly. "Raven, are you okay?"

"I'm out." There was a low boom beyond the trees and a flash of multi-coloured light. Why were there so much stuff blowing up tonight? "But I set it off."

"What the fuck happened to you two?" There was Qrow. Everything was hued in dark grey and black as he ran over to the form of his sister, crouching beside her. "Rae, talk to me."

"Another time, why aren't you where you were meant to be?" She stood up, batting away his hands as he tried to help.

"We heard the explosion, figured we'd come see what happened, when some Faunus bitch shows up and starts trying to wreck our shit."

"She makes explosive clones," Taiyang piped up.

"Yeah, we figured that out, Brainiac." He didn't need to see Qrow's face to know the look he was getting. "But they're smaller than the one you had to deal with. The main problem is that every time she sets one off it's a fucking flashbang, blinds us completely. Fucking faunus and their fucking night vision."

Tai raised a brow. If he tried, that could be construed as mildly racist, but they didn't have the time for semantics. "Has she taken any hits?"

"Yeah, Liddell's a demon with that knife of hers. Summer and I have mostly been running distraction and sucker punches." Taiyang heard dust casings hit the ground and realised Qrow was reloading. "How's the face?"

"Had worse." He clicked his neck. "I'm running low, but I can help."

"Good." Qrow cocked the shotgun portion of his weapon. "Let's move."

* * *

Summer flipped backwards under the swing from the oversized gardening tool, landing on her hands for a moment before she sprang up to her feet. Her soft boots landed between the toadstools as she whipped  _Meteora Bloom_  out, waiting until the last second for the axe blade to extend. It hit the Faunus woman, Wynn, hard enough to make her stumble. Liddell was suddenly there, waiting, her knife a blur of silver in the air as she landed hit after precise hit on Wynn's back.

Wynn swung around, her weapon already building up momentum for a hit as her cottontail gleamed white in the faint moonlight, and Adrianna was gone, scarpered up a tree with a laugh that dodged 'cackle, insane' by a hair.

Summer lashed out with her chain again, wrapping it around Wynn's leg and yanking hard. The woman's face hit the dirt and Adrianna landed on her back, hard enough to form a small crater before she jumped off.

It was so super-duper  _cool_  to see an actual real-life Huntress in action. Summer was convinced that Wynn stood no chance.

Wynn lunged at them, her hands free, and Summer barely closed her eyes in time to shield her vision from the blast. She felt a wave of force hit her and knock her off her feet, the grass not nearly as soft as it looked when she hit it and rolled to a stop.

Her instincts screamed at her to move and she rolled again, hearing something heavy come down right where her head had been a moment ago. She yelped and disappeared, before a foot met her side and punted her even further afield.

"Nice try, Summer Rose, but not good enough!" Wynn called brightly, like this was all some merry jaunt. Summer vanished again and ran to the side, wanting to kick herself when she realised she dropped her weapon again and she needed to stop doing that immediately.

Wynn knew her name. She was sent to kill her. Once the rabbit Faunus was beaten, she was going to find out who, why, and where that 'who' was.

She looked around for her weapon, squinting for any sign of it, when another Wynn clone exploded into blinding cream light. Summer hissed as the brightness seared into her head, turning everything white, and felt the shovel whack across the back of her skull.

A hand grabbed her hair and yanked, hard enough that she couldn't help a shout of pain. She had to adjust all over again and she couldn't see and her weapon was gone again. She was going to tie the dumb thing to her hand so she stopped dropping it.

"This really isn't personal, Summer Rose." Her face met the bark of a tree hard enough to leave a dent in the trunk, before Wynn did it again. She reached back, scrabbling at Wynn's grasp to try get free. "It's just business." A third hit. A larger dent. Bark pieces scratched at her cheeks as the tree shook from the impact.

There was an angry roar.

Summer's face split into a grin, and she felt the air around her grow warmer as the hand was quite literally ripped out of her hair. That kina hurt, but she was much happier to see orange eyes glowing in the dark as Taiyang bodily threw the rabbit Faunus into a blast from Qrow's shotgun.

"Hey Tai," she smiled at him and shook the bark out of her hair.

"Sorry I'm late, Summertime." He smiled at her as golden energy rippled over him before it broke away, Taiyang falling to a knee as his aura ran out. "Raven and I were kind of held up."

"That's fine. Are you hurt?"

"Nope. Go fight."

She nodded and activated her semblance. "I'll win this one in your honour. Thanks, Tai."

He gave her a thumbs up. She beamed invisibly at him and went to where Qrow and Wynn were trading swings with their unwieldy weapons. Neither of them would ever get a hit in that way.

She hunted the ground for her weapon, spying a faint glint among the mushrooms. She crossed her fingers as she crept over, steps as quiet as she could make them, and fumed silently when she saw it was instead a golden pocket watch. Darn it, she could have sworn it was over here.

Oh well. She could still provide another distraction for Adrianna to use. Wynn had to be tiring out, right?

She picked up the pocket watch, her semblance extending into it through touch as she moved closer to the fight. She'd have to be really careful with this.

She stepped on something that shifted under her weight and tripped, catching herself on her hands. She looked back to see what she stood on and growled in frustration when she saw Meteora Bloom. Really? Now she found it?

"Summer!" She looked up at Qrow's yell right as Wynn's shin crunched into the side of her face in a powerful roundhouse. It dazed her for a moment and she shook her head to clear it, her cheekbone throbbing.

She looked up at the sound of a scuffle to see Qrow had thrown his weapon aside and was grappling with Wynn, trying to trap her arms behind her back and his forearm around her throat. Her leg swept up into the air and over her shoulder, sending her knee into his face before she darted to the side.

The Wynn still in his grip had cream-coloured eyes.

Qrow blinked. "Shi-" The explosion knocked them both back, this time big enough that it made her ears ring. She groaned and pushed herself up to her elbows as she realised she'd landed flat on her back. A boot flattened against her sternum, pressing the air out of her in a squeak, and Wynn stood above her, chest heaving from exertion. Or maybe one too many human bombs.

"Like I said, dearie, nothing personal." The edge of her shovel hovered gently over Summer's pale throat before she raised it up for the first blow.

Adrianna melted out of the shadows behind the rabbit Faunus with her little knife, and opened a slice in Wynn's tricep with a single slice. Slender fingers wrapped around Wynn's throat as emerald eyes gleamed behind her.

"You're out of aura, luv. I think that last one was a little too much for you. How unfortunate." The Huntress's voice lilted playfully before her grip tightened and her blade rested gently against Wynn's other arm. "Lower your weapon before I cut the tendons in this arm too."

Wynn's left sleeve darkened with a stain as she tossed the shovel aside, the arm falling limp as she did. "That's a little dark, isn't it?"

"You tried to kill children." Adrianna replied like it was answer enough. Summer watched as they moved to the side of the clearing and scrambled to her feet, running to check on Qrow. She picked up Meteora Bloom as she did and sheathed the weapon on her thigh, smiling as she noticed Raven there.

"You dunce, what were you thinking, trying to go in close like that? You cocky, arrogant, idiotic-"

"Are you done?" Qrow scowled, looking the furthest thing from chastened.

"No. Now get up, little brother. Someone tried to kill me and I want answers."

She could get behind that. "Me too."

Raven glanced at her, a smirk quickly covering her surprise. "Then we agree on something. Our mission should be finished here anyway, depending on what Liddell says."

"I say it is." Adrianna walked up, dragging the captured criminal behind her. Wynn's thumbs were cuffed together as a lump on her temple showed where she'd been knocked unconscious.

"I'll hand her over for the locals to detain until an airship can get here to take you all back to Vale. By the way," she glanced at Qrow, "you shouldn't throw your weapon like that." She picked up his broadsword and offered it to him, hilt first, her eyes glinting teal for a moment as she quirked a brow with a hum of interest.

Qrow clipped it to the small of his back. "What?"

"Nothing important. You want to know who sent her after you, you said?"

Raven nodded, clutching her empty weapon in a death grip. "We'll need to interrogate her before she reaches Vale."

"No need." Adrianna's smile stretched into a grin. "I've made three guesses as to why you'd want to know and I doubt the first two count. But I've never much believed in rules for rules' sake, so I'll tell you what you want to know about Henlein." She shook the Faunus slightly.

Taiyang put his hands in his pockets as they started to walk back. "And you know that how?"

Adrianna held up a hand and twiddled her fingers. "Not all semblances are for combat. I, for example, have a rather useful touch of psychometry. Literally."

"I don't know what that means." Qrow stalked alongside Taiyang, the two falling into step.

"It means when she touches things she can get information off it. Past events and stuff," Taiyang smiled lopsidedly. "Right?"

"Got it in one, pet. People too." Adrianna absently wiped blood off her knife and onto her skirt, leaving the blade to gleam dangerously and the black fabric to soak up the stains. Summer shuddered slightly. As cool as Adrianna was, that wasn't the sort of huntress Summer wanted to be.

She looked at Raven as the taller girl trailed behind. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," Raven spat at her, before lapsing into sullen silence.

Summer decided to let it go for now. She was sure that eventually, Raven would talk. A little bit. Maybe.

She was a teammate, after all. It had to work out eventually. Didn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my work, buy me a coffee! ko-fi.com/scath_creates


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